The low profit margins of the first tri-fold smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, may call into question the prospects of further mass production of the model, despite the positive reception from customers. An industry representative stated this in an interview with a reporter.
Company December 12 release Galaxy Z TriFold launched to the market, the first batch on Samsung's online store sold out in 5 minutes.
“Samsung is pleased that it can demonstrate its technological level, but at the same time, the festive atmosphere is somewhat overshadowed by concerns about the profitability of the device,” said the agency's interlocutor.
At the same time, he drew attention to the high cost of manufacturing components, including screens, and the high cost of repairing this phone.
This expert explained that for the company, launching this car model to the market is mainly a “reputation issue” and not profit. Therefore, initially only about 3 thousand machines were supplied to the Korean market. About 20 thousand copies will then reach world markets, including the US, China and UAE. Chinese company Huawei released the world's first smartphone with a tri-fold screen – Huawei Mate XT – in September 2024, but it came at a higher price. According to some reports, by April 2025, more than 400 thousand Huawei Mate XT units have been sold.
During the phone's launch on December 2, Samsung Electronics Korea division vice president Lim Sung-taek said that they had put in a lot of effort to optimize costs and that they had given up “everything possible.” Korean publications claim that such a pricing policy is supposed to compensate for the later entry of a flagship smartphone with this form factor into the market compared to Chinese smartphones. Galaxy Z TriFold is the most expensive model in Samsung's line.
A representative of the Korean business community drew attention to the possibility that the price of components for smartphones, including memory chips, may increase in the future. According to him, the price of the Galaxy Z TriFold at 3.59 million won (about 2,430 USD) is “surprisingly low” when compared to the younger Galaxy Z Fold7 model (2.3 million won, about 1,500 USD), which can only fold in one place, not two.
At the same time, another source said Samsung may start accepting orders for the Galaxy Z TriFold again on December 17 due to having to replenish inventory.
