Samsung's Galaxy Z Trifold will be officially launched soon. Well, here is if you live in one of the markets where the phone will likely launch; that doesn't include North America. Of course, nothing is official until it's said out loud and made official, but I don't see any indication of a worldwide launch. That's smart.
Supposedly, the Trifold is set to launch in a handful of Asian markets with no word on a release anywhere else, which is exactly what Samsung needs to do with this one. You really only need to remember the launch of the first Galaxy Z Fold to understand why. The phone was generally well-received, but even more so in places like South Korea and less so in the U.S. There are three reasons why.
Why western markets might be skipped
The first is the price. I can't tell you what a U.S. MSRP of the Galaxy Z Trifold would be, but I can tell you it would be sky high. Like $2,500+ range. Maybe that's not a bad price because of the cost to design and build it (especially the initial model), but most people aren't going to think like that. They will see a giant price and scoff, which isn't good for business. When consumers start to think of high prices when considering a brand of product, they look at others a little more.
Next, there are going to be problems. Honestly, I don't think the device will have too many issues, but a first generation that's this complicated has to have a few. A few issues with a device that costs as much as a used car aren't going to sit well. It shouldn't sit well. Besides the bad press and pictures of faulty foldables, the stigma that the original Fold had of being a "bad product" lasted longer than it should have. Even now, many feel foldables are fragile, finicky devices that aren't going to last as long as it takes to pay them off. All this was because a handful of the first ones sold were plastered all over social media, showing their problems.
A perfect mix early adopters and curious consumers in Asia
Now let's talk about the Asian market. Specifically, Samsung's homeland of South Korea. Any issues are going to affect these phones just like they would in the U.S. The price is going to be crazy high, just like it would be in North America or Europe. None of that will change, but the response to them would.
Asian tech consumers are savvy, maybe more savvy than most of us, because they are exposed to all sorts of products we don't get to see in the West. They will see the problems, know it's priced very high, and want it anyway.
The tech culture for much of Asia is different from ours, and many consumers are ready to try something new and know that it will cost them. In the U.S, we call those people "early adopters," and there are a few. There are more of them in other parts of the world, though.
In South Korea specifically, there is another thing: national pride. If Samsung were a North American company, things would be identical, and Americans would take pride in supporting the largest maker of electronics the world has ever seen. Samsung deserves it.
This pride in knowing the best devices come from "home" won't make issues go away, but it will make them more accepted. We know this because a lot of people bought American cars in the 1970s and '80s, even though a superior product was available from Japan or Europe. It was a sense of national pride, and buying "American" was important.
I'm looking forward to checking out a good "trifold" Android phone, and chances are it will be one from Samsung. What can I say? I hate a lot of what the company does, but I also think they make the best consumer electronics money can buy.
I don't look forward to spending too much to do it and being plagued with problems that might not be fixable in a first-generation product. I want to see version two, or maybe even version three. For that to happen, version one has to be a success, and keeping it in Asia, close to home, is a good move to help it become one.
