Samsung Electronics' first twice-folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Trifold, appears to have effectively wrapped up sales in the U.S. market as well.
According to the industry on the 19th, on the 17th (local time) U.S. Samsung.com posted a notice that the product was completely sold out, and inventory at Samsung Experience Store locations, the offline tryout and sales hubs, was also reportedly exhausted.
Although there was a restock early this month, it sold out again in a few days, adding weight to the view that the company has entered the phase of ending sales without additional production.
The Galaxy Z Trifold is an experimental product in Samsung Electronics' foldable lineup, the first to adopt a structure that folds twice. After debuting late last year in Korea and a few other markets, it was released in limited fashion in the U.S. in Jan., with sales from the start confined to unlocked purchases via Samsung.com and select big-city stores. The focus was more on showcasing technology and gauging early demand than on mass sales.
When unfolded, the device delivers a large screen of around 10 inches, and when folded, it is designed to be used like a regular smartphone. While its symbolism was strong—with a large screen based on an infolding structure, a 200-megapixel camera, a high-performance chipset, and a large-capacity battery among a raft of top-tier components—the industry believes the manufacturing cost burden was just as heavy. In particular, many analyses say that as the hinge, panel, and battery structures grew more complex, securing Production yield and profitability was not easy.
Market attention is now shifting to a successor. With reports that Samsung Electronics is reviewing a new foldable structure that increases the screen width compared to existing products, there is talk that a next-generation model addressing the first-generation Trifold's limitations could appear.
An industry official said, "Ultimately, this sellout is interpreted less as a sign of a hit and more as Samsung Electronics' first outcome in testing both the technical possibilities and commercial limits of an ultra-premium foldable."