Samsung Galaxy Fold released in USA to wary consumers

This morning the Samsung Galaxy Fold was released to the United States at AT&T and in select retail stores. This release came after a longer-than-usual lead-up of newsworthy incidents and preflight announcements, due largely to the unique nature of the device. With a foldable display on a relatively expensive piece of personal electronics comes a set of challenges that both Samsung and potential consumers must overcome.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold was announced for release today in two versions. There'll be an AT&T version that users will be able to purchase at select AT&T stores. There'll also be a Samsung Galaxy Fold in an Unlocked iteration available from select Best Buy stores and Samsung Experience Store retail locations.

Customers will have "access" to a Galaxy Fold Premiere Service at purchase. Using this service, "a specialist will unbox the Galaxy Fold and all of its accessories." Almost like you're buying an expensive wristwatch – but with the Galaxy Fold, we get the sense that this service is more about making sure the device is in mint condition before the consumer gets their hands on it – just in case something bad happens soon thereafter.

You see, this device was already reported damaged by a reviewer in the field. This comes after a (probably more obvious) less-than-great durability test session by a 3rd-party source, and Samsung made sure that it was clear that the Galaxy Fold had a clear, precise user guide for new users.

It would seem that Samsung is doing everything they can to avoid what happened with the breaking Galaxy Fold review unit situation back in April.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold with 512GB internal storage (unlocked) will cost approximately $1980 (with activation today) from Best Buy. You'll find this same model available in both "Cosmos Black" and "Space Silver". The same colors should be available for this device from AT&T with a price of $66 USD per month for 30 months.