RIP: Samsung ends Galaxy Z TriFold sales after just three months
Looks like a $3,000 foldable isn't the most lucrative business move
đ± Samsung is discontinuing the Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months
đ°đ· The company will first wind down sales in Korea, followed by the US
â There will not be any restocks, according to the company
đ° The $2,899 tri-folding phone was praised at launch for its versatility, but its price and durability questions kept it out of a lot of potential buyerâs hands
Samsung is pulling the plug on the Galaxy Z TriFold. After introducing the phone just three months ago, the company has confirmed itâs winding down sales of the device, starting in Korea. Bloomberg reports that the United States will soon follow, with no new restocks of the device expected at any retailers. Once the device is gone, itâs gone.
đ° Galaxy Z TriFold isnât just expensive for youâŠ
Bloomberg says the reason Samsung is suspending the TriFold is due to high production costs. With the rise in cost for components and the necessary technologies it takes to pull off a phone of this caliber (I mean, just look at that screen, for example), Samsung doesnât find it feasible to keep producing it. That makes sense; the end cost was $2,899, which is $1,000 more than what the Galaxy Z Fold 7 costs, a price far too high for any average consumer to consider reasonable.
Some stock remains at Samsung stores in New York City and Texas, according to curious buyers on the web searching for a TriFold to own. However, Samsung has reportedly only restocked its retail outlet in Korea, meaning there wonât be a restock anywhere else. In addition, Samsungâs US online store already lists the phone as out of stock, so unless youâre comfortable paying a mark-up for a TriFold on eBay or something, youâre out of luck if you want one brand-new.
The Galaxy Z TriFold blew a lot of people away when it was introduced a few months ago. The concept of having a 6.5-inch phone that could unfold to a 10-inch tablet appealed to many, and in our hands-on time with the phone, we were impressed with how well everything worked. It was also well-equipped to keep up with todayâs latest and greatest, with a triple camera system, a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 5,600mAh battery.
While itâs a shame to see the phone go away, itâs no surprise that itâs going away so soon, given the current market conditions. Samsung has also hinted at eventually folding (pun intended) some of the technologies into future products, so we might not have to wait for long until we see a second version of this phone, or some variation of a tri-folding display.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. Heâs been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.