iFixit pulls its flaw-revealing Galaxy Fold teardown

A few days ago, gadget repair experts at iFixit tore down a Samsung Galaxy Fold, revealing several design weaknesses which could allow dust and debris to get lodged underneath the device’s screen (which is exactly what had happened to some reviewers). 

Now, the company has pulled down the teardown page after being requested by Samsung to do so. 

In a blog post Friday, iFixit explained that the Galaxy Fold they’ve obtained was from a “trusted partner,” and Samsung has requested through that partner for iFixit to remove the teardown. 

“We are under no obligation to remove our analysis, legal or otherwise. But out of respect for this partner, whom we consider an ally in making devices more repairable, we are choosing to withdraw our story until we can purchase a Galaxy Fold at retail,” iFixit wrote. 

Notably, iFixit hasn’t removed tweets containing photos and videos of a partially disassembled Fold at publish time, but it’s safe to expect they’ll do that soon. 

Typically, iFixit buys the products it disassembles through regular retail channels, so this turn of events isn’t entirely unsurprising. Let’s just hope that the finalized version of the Fold — potentially coming in June — will be better than the first one. 

The now-removed iFixit teardown noted that the Fold is very hard to repair, and found gaps in the device’s design that leave the display exposed to dirt and dust. The company called the device “incredibly fragile.”