SEOUL— Samsung Electronics Co. delayed the rollout of its Galaxy Fold because of technical problems just days ahead of its planned launch, a blow to the hardware giant and its hopes for a product it billed as one of the smartphone market’s biggest innovations in years.

The Galaxy Fold, the industry’s first mainstream foldable-screen device, was slated to reach shelves in the U.S. on Friday, priced at nearly $2,000. But problems with phones being used by reviewers prompted Samsung to push off the debut, the company said Monday, adding that it plans to make public a new release date in the coming weeks.

For buyers who preordered a Galaxy Fold on the company’s website, Samsung was more specific, telling them in an email to expect shipping information in “two weeks.”

The delay in what was a carefully choreographed launch illustrates challenges even the foremost digital-device makers sometimes have in producing major advances as they attempt to add new functions and pack more features into less space.

Less than three years ago, Samsung had to recall its Galaxy Note 7 after faulty batteries caused some of the newly released smartphones to catch fire. The episode tarnished the South Korean company’s brand and cost Samsung about $6.5 billion as it went about removing the product from shelves.