The new foldable phone from Pablo Escobar's brother is a Samsung Galaxy Fold with no changes to the software, according to a YouTuber and a journalist who obtained the products amid consumer worries the business is a scam.

As many had suspected, the newly announced $399 foldable phone from Pablo Escobar’s brother turns out to be a re-packaged Samsung Galaxy Fold covered in gold foil.

By Michael Kan

The phone, dubbed the Escobar FOLD 2, comes from Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, who says he’s on a mission “to destroy Apple and Samsung.” However, his strategy apparently involves buying up leftover inventory of last year’s Galaxy Fold and selling it back to the public at ultra-low prices.

“The Escobar Fold 2 is an overstock purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. We have bought many of them from retailers and wholesalers who have been unable to sell them to their clients,” Roberto wrote in a letter to a consumer, who received a Fold 2 unit.

On Wednesday, the consumer—”Caralda #DBL“—posted a YouTube video showing the letter, which was included in his order. It warns that the Fold 2 comes with no official Samsung warranty. “They (Samsung) actually hate us, and we hate Samsung as well,” the document adds.

In the video, “Caralda #DBL” goes on to say the gold covering on the phone, which carries the Escobar Phone logo, appears to be pasted on with glue. A separate YouTuber, “LJP Tech,” also received his Fold 2 unit today after the company told him he was among the 1,000 users selected to receive one.

Thomas Fischermann, a journalist for German newspaper Die Zeit, told PCMag he obtained a review unit of the Escobar Fold 2 as well.

He confirmed the device is actually a Galaxy Fold Foldable Phone, with no changes to the Samsung software on board. The only customization was to place a photo of Pablo Escobar as the phone’s screensaver image.

“Kind of pointless to do some kind of tech review,” Fischermann said on Twitter. “It’s a Samsung Fold (the latest version with the fixed hinge).” More

By Michael Kan https://www.pcmag.com/