Samsung debuted its most extensive new lineup of smartphones, taking on Apple Inc. amid a slowing market.

Samsung is postponing its China launch event for its foldable smartphone just days after incidents with defective screens on the nearly $2,000 device and has pushed back the release of the device globally.

The South Korean electronics giant had scheduled an event in Shanghai for April 24 to launch the Samsung Galaxy Fold. A spokesperson confirmed that had been canceled but had no official statement to give. It's unclear for when that event will be rescheduled or when the phone will be available in China.

Samsung's Galaxy Fold, unveiled in full in February, was slated to go on sale on April 26 in select markets including the United States, but a spokesperson told CNBC that this has also been delayed.

The screen on Samsung's device can fold in half and open up again to give users a large display. However, journalists who reviewed the product over the past few weeks reported issues with the screen. Some of the reviewers removed a protective film which covered the screen, which appeared to result in some problems with the display.

But CNBC did not remove that film during its review, and his screen ended up flickering and turning off and on at a rapid pace.

Samsung told said in a statement that the Galaxy Fold "needs further improvements" before it releases the phone to consumers.

In a statement following the reports of damaged screens, Samsung advised users not to remove the protective film and said it was looking into the issue.

"We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter," the company said.

- CNBC's Todd Haselton contributed to this report.