The saga of Samsung’s foldable smartphone continues.
The South Korean electronics giant has said its foldable smartphone will be released – for real now – in September.
However, the move is less about whether or not the technology works (the Galaxy Fold was marred with technical issues back in April) and more about a trade dispute between Seoul and Tokyo.
Earlier this month, Tokyo restricted exports to South Korea. Part of the restrictions included key materials crucial to Samsung’s smartphone manufacturing program.
The decision was made in response to a South Korean court that ordered Japanese companies that used forced human labour during World War II to compensate its victims.
Tokyo’s move has raised greater concerns about the effect on global technology supply chains, and the potential for price hikes for gadget-lovers worldwide.
Samsung planned to launch its Galaxy Fold back in April, but pushed back the release date after early reviewers noticed screen problems. Samsung has said it has made improvements to the device since then.
According to a statement, Samsung spent almost eight years developing the Fold to spark demand for smartphone innovation.
