Samsung’s dual-folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Tri-Fold, is an immediate smash hit. The initial domestic stock sold out instantly. And now, Samsung is rushing to restock.
That happened on the day of its release (the 12th). The excitement was immediate—dozens of people lined up at major stores in Gangnam and Hongdae before sales even began. Online, the product vanished from Samsung.com within five minutes.
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The Restock and The Resale Frenzy
The high demand led to an instant shortage.
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Restock Date: Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Z Tri-Fold will be restocked on the morning of December 17th at 10 a.m. on Samsung.com. It sounds like some quantity might also hit offline stores, those too.
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Limited Supply: The domestic supply is reported to be tiny—only around 3,000 units. Given the intense demand, those bottlenecks are definitely going to continue unless supply ramps up fast.
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Resale Mania: The shortage has fueled a bizarre secondary market. On platforms like Karrot and Joonggonara, the device is being traded for premium prices. While some listings are only between 3.7 million and 4 million Korean won (up from the factory price of 3,594,000 KRW), others are priced ridiculously high, sometimes between 9 million and 10 million Korean won! That’s just resellers looking for profit. Experts expect the resale prices to “normalize” once the additional stock is released.
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Samsung’s Concerns (Here’s the Kicker)
Despite the sellout, the mood inside Samsung Electronics is complicated. The strong sales are a victory for its technological prowess, but the profitability outlook is messy.
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Low Profit Margins: The official ex-factory price was set at 3,594,000 KRW. That happened, which is significantly lower than the industry’s expected price of around 4 million KRW. Industry insiders believe the profit margin will be minimal due to a combination of factors:
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The new, complex display form factor.
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A recent surge in prices for key components like DRAM and the application processor (AP).
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Insurance Limbo: The Tri-Fold has been excluded from Samsung Electronics’ insurance service, ‘Samsung Care+’. This is likely because the device’s high cost makes the potential compensation amounts for repair or loss so massive that Samsung and its partner insurers are struggling to set an appropriate premium structure. They worry that a poorly calibrated plan could result in significant losses for the company. They’re still reviewing options, which is an ongoing situation.
The Tri-Fold is clearly a technological showpiece meant to demonstrate leadership in the foldable market, but it’s a very expensive victory to maintain.
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