iFixit deletes its Samsung Galaxy Fold teardown at Samsung’s request

In the wake of the Samsung Galaxy Fold screen debacle, iFixit has pulled down its detailed teardown, or technical deconstruction, of the device.

Published two days ago, the teardown reveals that the Fold features “insufficient protection from debris” which could have contributed to the likes of The Verge’s Dieter Bohn and YouTuber Michael Fisher’s screen issues.

In the teardown, iFixit called the Fold “alarmingly fragile” and gave suggested that it’s virtually irreparable.

“While the phone was easier to get into than some, the overwhelming fragility is a bad sign for repair,” it wrote.

‘Samsung has requested, through that partner, that iFixit remove its teardown’

In a explanation detailing the deletion of the teardown, iFixit noted that it was under “no obligation to remove our analysis, legal or otherwise”. It decided to pull the article and analysis because of its relationship with a “trusted partner”.

“Samsung has requested, through that partner, that iFixit remove its teardown,” it added in the explainer.

“[O]ut 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.”

Pulling down the article won’t remove it from the internet though. You can browse through the entire piece on the Internet Archive (linked in an earlier paragraph). And now that publications are covering the news of the teardown, it’s likely that more people will be made aware of it, and want to view it.

Good PR move then? Probably not.

There’s still no confirmed launch date for the Samsung Galaxy Fold, but it’s clear that the Korean company will have to do some PR repairs too until then.

Feature image: Samsung