If you haven't yet shelled out nearly $3,000 for a Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, you might have missed your chance. The company is winding down sales of the folding phone less than two months after introducing it in the US.
But it wasn't for lack of interest -- the device was a hot seller in the US and South Korea. Though the window was small, it gave Samsung the opportunity to showcase its design expertise and gauge customer interest.
All available units in Samsung's home market of South Korea have been sold out, Samsung said in a statement, but customers in other countries may still be able to purchase the device. In the US, the only way to buy a TriFold is on the Samsung website or at one of its seven Experience Stores across the country.
"The Galaxy Z TriFold was introduced as a super-premium device in limited quantities," Samsung said.
News of the halt in sales of the foldable phone was earlier reported by Bloomberg.
A quick check on the Samsung website did not show any TriFold phones for sale, although Bloomberg said people have reported being able to buy the phone over the past few days at Experience Stores in Frisco, Texas, and Queens, New York. On a Galaxy Z TriFold subreddit, some people reported being able to get their hands on one.
Watch this: I Tested the Galaxy Z TriFold: Here's What I Liked and Disliked
The Galaxy Z TriFold was announced on Dec. 1, 2025, made its debut in South Korea on Dec. 12 and went on sale in the US on Jan. 30. The phone has a 6.5-inch cover screen and two hinges that enable it to be unfurled into a 10-inch main screen. The phone's price is $2,899.
The device apparently was never intended to be a regular part of Samsung's product lineup, but instead a "flagship showcase" to demonstrate Samsung's ability to create a trifold phone, according to the South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo. The news outlet said that only 3,000 units were sold on each of two days -- on the day of release, Dec. 12, and five days later on Dec. 17.
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at tech research firm IDC, said the demand for the Galaxy Z TriFold shows that trifold phones are "a segment with clear long-term potential."
"For example, Huawei has sold 1.2 million units of its tri-fold devices, generating approximately $3.2 billion in revenues, an early but strong indicator of consumer appetite for larger, multi-fold form factors," Jeronimo said. "The Samsung trifold should be understood as part of Samsung's broader experimentation strategy in foldable and hybrid device design."
Dong-A Ilbo cited an unnamed industry expert as saying the phone is more of "an iconic product created to show its technological prowess rather than make a profit from sales."
In any case, manufacturing costs would have been prohibitive for mass production of the Galaxy Z TriFold. The cost of components like DRAM, NAND flash and application processors has surged this year, partly because of "demand for AI-related computing workloads," according to market research firm TrendForce. DRAM is the main working memory of a phone, NAND flash is a storage technology, and application processors run operating systems such as Android, iOS and Linux.
The TriFold is 12.9mm thick when closed, which CNET reviewer Abrar Al-Heeti says "can feel a little clunky."
Abrar Al-Heeti/CNETCNET's take: 'Not for everyone'
We liked the Galaxy Z TriFold when it debuted earlier this year in the US, and apparently so did many Americans -- it sold out in minutes on its first day in the US.
CNET Senior Writer Abrar Al-Heeti spent two weeks with the foldable and called it "versatile, innovative and practical," although ultimately a niche device that's not for everyone.
She wrote in her review that she enjoyed the TriFold's adaptability, noting that it can easily double as a workstation or tablet for watching movies or multitasking. But the price tag of nearly $3,000, she said, is a lot to ask for the average phone buyer.
"Still, this phone embodies what foldable phones have long strived to be," she wrote. "And honestly, it's just a joy to use."
Will the TriFold return? Bloomberg reported that Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer of Samsung's Mobile Experience Business, said in an interview last month that the company hadn't decided yet if it will bring the device -- or an updated version -- to a wider market.
If you're interested in alternative trifold phones, be sure to also check out the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate (not sold in the US) and Tecno's Phantom Ultimate G, which the company showed at MWC 2026 as a concept.
