As it stands now, Samsung's Galaxy Fold smartphone is still a $1,980 smartphone without a release date. But now there's a sign that a launch could be near.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Fold's release was delayed to sort out severe problems with its display, forcing retailers and carriers to cancel the preorders they had taken. All the while, Samsung has adamantly assured the world that the phone will return soon. The company is so confident the Galaxy Fold is just around the corner that a Samsung Display executive reportedly stated at an industry conference that the device is ready to go.

That means they've fixed it, right?

"Most of the display problems have been ironed out," Samsung Electronics Display Vice President Kim Seong-Cheol said Tuesday (June 18) at an event held in Seoul by The Korean Information Display Society, "and the Galaxy Fold is ready to hit the market." The comment was reported by The Korea Herald.

It's possible something was lost in translation. We should highlight that Kim is not an employee of Samsung Electronics' mobile division, but rather the firm's display-manufacturing arm. He's likely been working very closely with the Fold team to stamp out these issues, but he may not have the insight to definitively tell us when the phone is launching.

MORE: Forget the Galaxy Fold: See Samsung's New Dual-Screen Phone



Still, his comment may not instill much confidence. You might assume that the Galaxy Fold should not be released until all of its display problems have been ironed out, not most of them.

We're not the only ones skeptical that the Fold is truly ready to hit the market. Another report, also from The Korea Herald, indicates the Fold will miss all of July entirely.

Logically, that would push the device's release back to August, but that's when another big Samsung smartphone is expected to be launched — the Galaxy Note 10. It might be unwise for Samsung to pit both highly-anticipated products up against each other in the same month.

We've reached out to Samsung for comment, and will update this report if we hear back.