Even With a Hefty Price Tag, It Sells Out Once It Takes Off...The Secret Behind Samsung’s Ambitious Hit [Daily IT Item]

[Financial News] The twice-folding foldable phone “Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold” unveiled by Samsung Electronics sold out in just two minutes in its fourth sales round as well.
According to industry sources on the 14th, all units of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold sold on Samsung.com from 10 a.m. the previous day were gone within two minutes of sales opening. Just like the second sales round on the 17th of last month and the third round on the 6th, it sold out in less than five minutes. At around 20 offline stores, including Samsung Gangnam, long lines also formed with customers hoping to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold.
Why does the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold remain so popular despite its steep price tag of 3,590,400 won (about 3.59 million won)?
Industry observers see it as the result of the device achieving a high level of refinement as an innovative form-factor product, combined with extremely limited production volumes that have fueled the desire to own a scarce item. In fact, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is being traded on various secondhand marketplaces for over 4 million won, with premiums added on top of the official price.
Among all Galaxy Z Fold series models to date, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold offers the largest display while being the thinnest. When folded, it measures 12.9 mm thick, and when unfolded, its thinnest side is 3.9 mm. Once opened, it can be used like a tablet with a 10‐inch (253 mm) screen. It is larger than Apple’s 8.3‐inch tablet, the iPad mini, and comes close in size to the 10.9‐inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Fan Edition that Samsung Electronics released earlier this year. When folded, it becomes a 6.5‐inch (164.8 mm) device, the same size as the Galaxy Z Fold7, enhancing portability.
Despite its popularity, the likelihood of a significant increase in production volume for the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold remains low. This is because its high manufacturing cost structure leaves almost no margin even when it is sold. In practice, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold requires a highly complex production process due to additional components such as three panels, its inward twice-folding “dual infolding” mechanism, and the application of the Armor Flex Hinge to enhance durability, all of which place a very heavy burden on production costs.
mkchang@fnnews.com Jang Min-kwon Reporter