Samsung ends TriFold sales in Korea after three-month showcase

Limited-run device highlights tech leadership as Samsung prepares next foldable push

Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold, which unfolds into a 10-inch three-panel display, is shown at a media event held at Samsung Gangnam in Seoul on Dec. 2. (Newsis)

Samsung Electronics ended domestic sales of the Galaxy Z TriFold on Tuesday, wrapping up a three-month run for the device that was designed more as a technology showcase than a profit driver.

The smartphone, which launched here on Dec. 12 at 3,590,400 won ($2,410), sold out within minutes each time new stock arrived. Samsung released small batches every one to two weeks through its online store and at select retail locations, with each round clearing in roughly two to five minutes.

Customers line up outside Samsung Gangnam in Seoul on Jan. 6 to purchase the Galaxy Z TriFold during its third restock, which sold out online in two minutes. (Newsis)

Despite the sellout streak, Samsung reportedly never intended to mass-produce the TriFold. Industry estimates put total domestic sales at no more than 10,000 units, with global production estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 units.

The device unfolds into a 10-inch display and folds down to a 6.5-inch bar-type phone. Measuring 3.9 mm at its thinnest point when open, it is the slimmest in the Galaxy foldable lineup. It runs on a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, features a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera and carries a 5,600 mAh three-cell battery.

Samsung has acknowledged that the TriFold's complex dual-hinge structure and high component costs left little room for margin. At the product's unveiling in December, Lim Sung-taek, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics Korea, said the price was "a figure we arrived at only after cutting and cutting again," noting that the company had pared costs down to the last 100 won digit.

Industry analysts had initially expected pricing above 4 million won.

The TriFold is priced most aggressively in its home market. In the United States, where it went on sale Jan. 30, the device starts at $2,899. In China, it is listed at 19,999 yuan ($2,875) for the base model.

Sales will continue in the US, China and other overseas markets until the remaining inventory is depleted. Samsung is also reviewing a possible launch in Japan, according to Chief Operating Officer Choi Won-jun in a recent interview with Nikkei.

An industry source told Korean media that Samsung had achieved what it set out to do. "Even without the recent surge in component prices across the smartphone industry, the TriFold was essentially a break-even product for Samsung," the source said. "It was meant to generate buzz and demonstrate technological capability. As it sold out consistently, there was no reason to keep producing a low-margin device."

Some industry observers also highlighted Samsung's desire to shift marketing focus to its recently launched Galaxy S26 series, its latest flagship line now rolling out across more than 120 countries.

Still, Samsung is already preparing its next foldable push. According to Korean component industry sources from January, the company plans to produce around 1 million units of a new "Wide Fold" model featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio display, making it the highest-volume special-edition foldable Samsung has attempted in three years.

The Wide Fold is expected to debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 in the third quarter, as Samsung gears up for a direct contest with Apple's anticipated first foldable iPhone later this year.