Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold was short-lived — here’s why it’s being scrapped, and why users saw it coming

• Samsung is stopping all sales for the Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months
• Sales will stop in South Korea first before the US
• Some users are frustrated at this move, but others knew it would happen

After a short three-month lifespan, Samsung is pulling its landmark Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone from the shelves today (March 17) so if you were hoping to score one this year, I’m afraid you may be too late to the party.

According to a new report from South Korean website Donga, Samsung is ending all sales of the Galaxy Z TriFold in South Korea after its next restock this week, which the report claims will be its last. Samsung is then expected to stop sales in the US, where “sales are scheduled to continue until the current production volume is sold out”, according to the report.

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. It makes sense, I mean who would 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?

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