The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is being discontinued after just three months on the market, marking an abrupt end to Samsung’s first true tri-fold experiment despite repeated sellouts and strong demand. The Korean tech giant launched the device in Korea on December 12, with availability expanding to China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States, but the company is now winding down production entirely.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold sold out repeatedly in the US but is being discontinued after three months of availability.
- Final US restock is scheduled for April 10 at 9am ET, marking the end of sales for the existing model.
- A new Samsung tri-fold phone with a 9.96-inch internal display is rumored for mid-2025 or alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7.
- Durability testing showed the existing TriFold withstanding 144,000 folds, exceeding the designed lifespan of 100 folds per day over five years.
- Initial production of the new tri-fold will be severely limited to test market demand in select countries only.
Why Samsung is abandoning the Galaxy Z TriFold
Samsung’s decision to discontinue the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold comes as a surprise given the device’s commercial success. The phone sold out immediately on every US restock, suggesting strong consumer appetite for the form factor. Yet Samsung has chosen to treat it as an experiment rather than a permanent product line, pulling it from shelves after just three months. The company’s strategy appears focused on developing a more refined successor rather than iterating on the existing design.
Some users reported issues with the inner screen becoming unresponsive in certain cases, though these complaints appear isolated to a small subset of owners. More significantly, Samsung likely wants to position itself competitively against Huawei, which launched the Mate XT—the first three-panel tri-fold—in 2024. By discontinuing the existing TriFold, Samsung can reset expectations and launch a more polished second-generation model that directly competes with Huawei’s pioneering effort.
What the new Samsung tri-fold phone will offer
Samsung’s next tri-fold device, expected to arrive in the latter half of 2025 or potentially alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, will feature a larger 9.96-inch internal display and a 6.49-inch external screen. The new design will use three separate panels with two hinges, similar in architecture to other book-style foldables but distinct from Huawei’s Mate XT, which uses a single-panel Z-fold mechanism. This architectural difference gives Samsung’s approach more flexibility in display management and hinge engineering.
According to industry sources, Samsung plans to limit initial production to small quantities in select countries, mirroring the cautious rollout strategy used for the Galaxy Fold SE. This means the new Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold successor will not be widely available globally at launch. The company is essentially treating the new model as a market test, monitoring demand before committing to full-scale production. Exact regions for initial availability remain unconfirmed, though the US and Korea are likely candidates given the existing TriFold’s launch pattern.
Durability concerns and real-world performance
A stress test conducted by Korean YouTube channel OMG_electronics revealed that the existing Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold endured 144,000 folds before showing signs of failure. While this falls short of Samsung’s stated 200,000-fold design target, it far exceeds the realistic daily usage scenario the device was engineered for—approximately 100 folds per day over five years. For typical users, durability is unlikely to be a limiting factor during the phone’s practical lifespan.
The more pressing concern is the isolated reports of unresponsive inner screens shared on Reddit, suggesting potential quality control issues in early production batches. However, these complaints remain anecdotal and do not appear widespread enough to explain Samsung’s decision to discontinue the device. The company’s pivot away from the existing TriFold seems driven more by strategic product planning than by durability or reliability failures.
When to expect the new model and what it means for buyers
The new Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold could arrive as soon as mid-2025, though some reports suggest it may launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 later in the year. Availability will be severely restricted initially, with production limited to test market conditions in a handful of countries. This means most consumers will face a long wait before the new tri-fold becomes accessible, and many regions may never receive it at all.
For those hoping to purchase a Samsung tri-fold phone, the final opportunity to buy the existing model is the US restock scheduled for April 10 at 9am ET. After that date, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold will effectively vanish from the market, leaving only the Huawei Mate XT as an available three-panel tri-fold until Samsung’s successor arrives. The discontinuation highlights the experimental nature of ultra-premium foldable formats—strong sales do not guarantee long-term commitment when a company decides to pivot to a new design generation.
How does the new Samsung tri-fold compare to the Huawei Mate XT?
Huawei’s Mate XT uses a single-panel Z-fold mechanism, whereas Samsung’s new tri-fold will employ three separate panels with two hinges. This architectural difference means Samsung’s approach offers distinct hinge and display engineering possibilities, though Huawei retains the advantage of being first to market with a tri-fold design. Samsung’s new model will need to demonstrate clear advantages in durability, display quality, or user experience to justify the late arrival and justify the premium pricing that tri-fold phones command.
Will the new Samsung tri-fold launch in my country?
Samsung has not confirmed which regions will receive the new tri-fold at launch. Initial production will be limited to select countries, similar to the Fold SE rollout strategy. The US and Korea are likely candidates based on the existing TriFold’s availability, but most other regions remain unconfirmed. You should expect a prolonged wait or potential unavailability if you live outside major markets.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold worth buying before it’s discontinued?
If you live in the US and can secure a unit during the final April 10 restock, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold offers a genuinely novel form factor with proven durability for typical use. However, the device’s three-month lifespan suggests Samsung views it as a transitional product rather than a long-term investment. Buying now means committing to a phone that Samsung is actively abandoning in favor of a newer design. Unless you specifically want to own the original tri-fold before it becomes unavailable, waiting for the successor makes more practical sense.
Samsung’s decision to discontinue the Galaxy Z TriFold after strong sales reveals the company’s willingness to sacrifice near-term revenue for long-term competitive positioning. The new tri-fold arriving mid-2025 will likely offer meaningful improvements, but availability constraints mean most consumers will remain locked out of the tri-fold market for months to come. For now, the era of the original Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is effectively over.
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: T3
