- Samsung is reportedly already winding down sales for its Galaxy Z TriFold
- Sales will apparently stop in South Korea first before the US
- Some users are frustrated at this move, but others knew it would happen
Update, March 18: This story was updated to include a statement from Samsung.
Original story follows:
After a short three-month lifespan, Samsung has started winding down sales of its Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone — so if you were hoping to score one this year, you might be too late to the party.
Rumors that the Galaxy Z TriFold might be taken off sale first started with a report from South Korean website Donga. It claimed that Samsung would be ending all sales of the Galaxy Z TriFold in South Korea after its final restock this week — with sales then expected to stop in the US, where “sales are scheduled to continue until the current production volume is sold out”.
Those rumors were then backed up by a Bloomberg report on March 17. A Samsung spokesperson apparently confirmed to Bloomberg that the company would be discontinuing the Galaxy Z TriFold in the US once it has cleared its remaining inventory.
In a statement, Samsung told us: "The Galaxy Z TriFold was introduced as a super-premium device in limited quantities. In Korea, the strong consumer response led to all available units sold out. Customers in other countries still have the opportunity to purchase the device."
When Samsung unveiled its $2,899 tri-folding smartphone in December last year, it was a roaring success, selling out within minutes of going live because of its revolutionary three-screen folding. So why is Samsung pulling the plug on one of its most innovative devices?
Though some users have openly expressed their disappointment for the death of the TriFold (one said the move is “infuriating”), avid tech nerds saw this one coming from a mile away.
Comment from r/GalaxyFold
Although the Galaxy Z TriFold sold out at a very fast rate, this is largely due to the fact that Samsung put it live in small batches (the first two allotments were only 3,000 units each apparently). But this was intentional on Samsung’s part, because the tech giant never meant for the Galaxy Z TriFold to enter mass production.
More so, Samsung's intention for the Galaxy Z TriFold was to simply show off the level of innovation that the company is capable of achieving, rather than producing it with the average consumer in mind. And that seems reasonable, considering most people won't want to lug a 10-inch folding phone-tablet around in their daily life.
However, that’s not the only reason why users think Samsung has killed off the Galaxy Z TriFold.
When it comes to production costs, let’s just say there’s a reason why Samsung had to add the near $3,000 price tag. The report mentions that industry costs for the Galaxy Z TriFold are sky-high, especially for the device’s central features like DRAM and NAND flash, making it incredibly difficult for Samsung to turn over a profit if it was marketed to the casual user.
Despite the inevitable outcome, it doesn’t mean that users aren’t upset at Samsung’s decision to cease one of its most interesting devices. This is largely down to its scarce market availability, with many customers claiming they never had the chance to score one in the first place.
On the other hand, a wave of users have defended the move, given that it was never meant to be a permanent member of the Samsung Galaxy Phones family in the first place.
What do you think of Samsung’s decision to stop selling the Galaxy Z TriFold? Are you also disappointed, or is this what you expected?
