Samsung says Galaxy Z Flip is already sold out online
The new handset is the world's first foldable phone with a glass screen.
Samsung says the foldable Galaxy Z Flip is sold out online.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, the first foldable phone with a glass screen, appears to be a hit with consumers. The Korean electronics giant said Wednesday that the handset is currently sold out online but a new batch is due on Friday.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Flip last week and started selling it Friday for $1,380, warning that it would initially be available in limited quantities. The device, Samsung's second foldable after its Galaxy Fold, features a clamshell design and is essentially a high-tech flip phone. Samsung says it's made with a proprietary glass it calls Ultra Thin Glass on its 6.7-inch bendable screen.
The new device joins a tiny but growing collection of foldable phones -- including the Galaxy Fold, the Motorola Razr, the Huawei Mate X and the Royole FlexPai -- that's redefining how we use and think about mobile devices.
Read: Galaxy Z Flip: 3 months later, I love it but still don't recommend it
The use of glass in the Flip is a first for the foldables market and is something that could give the sector a boost. Glass doesn't scratch as easily as plastic, is generally more durable and also will give the Flip a more premium feel than other foldables available for sale.
But the Flip's glass screen already has seen some controversy. Tinkerer Zack Nelson, who runs the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, put the handset through a battery of durability tests and came away disappointed by the results. He found that even his fingernail was capable of leaving scratches on the phone's screen at a point in the test where real glass would have typically resisted markings.
Samsung declined to comment on how many of the foldable phones it has sold.
