Samsung’s newest foldables have solely been on cabinets for a month, however one is already selecting up an unwelcome little bit of déjà vu from final yr’s Z Fold 6. As Android Authority drew our consideration to, a number of Galaxy Z Fold 7 house owners are reporting that the paint or extra precisely, the anodized end is chipping off their $2,000-plus units. And normally, they swear it’s not from drops or abuse.
A curious case of chipped paint
Suspiciously much like final yr’s
That is what the sting of the Blue Shadow mannequin ought to appear to be with no flaking paint.
Reports began surfacing on Reddit practically three weeks ago. A number of posts and feedback have emerged containing photographs of the aluminum body displaying flakes of lacking end close to the facility button, across the USB-C port, and alongside the facet rails. One proprietor, who claims to have “babied my cellphone the day I bought it,” mentioned the coating began peeling regardless of solely ever utilizing Samsung’s 25W charger and a high-quality case. One other mentioned they woke as much as what seemed like a speck of lint, solely to find it was a naked patch of aluminum after the end chipped away additional.
If this sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of it’s. The Fold 6 had a virtually an identical controversy final yr. That prompted Samsung to concern help documentation suggesting poorly grounded third-party chargers may degrade the anodization on its foldables. The corporate really helpful utilizing solely first-party energy bricks, warning that present leakage from non-OEM chargers may corrode the protecting floor.
Nevertheless, the most recent complaints complicate that narrative. A number of customers say they solely used Samsung’s official charger, whereas others level out that the anodized layer shouldn’t fail below regular circumstances in any respect. One notably detailed remark argued that the aluminum wasn’t handled correctly throughout manufacturing, that means the end merely wasn’t bonded to the body the way in which it ought to have been.
What’s being carried out concerning the finicky anodization?
Most reviews middle on Blue Shadow, with few on Jetblack, and seemingly none on Silver Shadow.
Samsung’s customer support responses appear combined. A number of customers report being instructed beauty injury isn’t coated below guarantee because it doesn’t have an effect on efficiency. Others, like a Z Fold 7 purchaser in Denmark, say Samsung organized a pickup to judge whether or not the defect qualifies for restore or substitute. In at the least one case, a service middle escalated the difficulty to company for evaluate.
Nonetheless, for a cellphone that begins at over $2,000, spontaneous paint flaking is greater than a minor annoyance. It’s a high quality management downside. It additionally dangers undermining confidence in Samsung’s premium foldables at a time when Chinese language manufacturers are heating up the competitors.
We’ve reached out to Samsung for remark and can replace if the corporate supplies an official response. Within the meantime, if you happen to’re the proud proprietor of a brand new Z Fold 7, strive to not get caught up staring too intently on the body.
