Samsung US stops Galaxy Z Fold 2 sales: Why we're excited

The Galaxy Z Fold 2, the foldable Samsung released last September, has disappeared from the company's US website. Users are greeted with a message advising them that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is no longer available for purchase and that they should explore other Galaxy options instead. Though this may be disappointing if you went to the Samsung US website hoping to buy the phone, its disappearance is actually exciting.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the second iteration of Samsung's large foldable smartphone, one that you can no longer buy directly from the company in the US. The change was first spied by 9to5Google, which notes that the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 5G remains available through Samsung's US website.

What makes this exciting? The Galaxy Z Fold 2's disappearance from the Samsung.com website indicates that the next-generation model — the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — may be arriving in the very near future. If that doesn't prove to be the case, the device's disappearance may still be a good thing: it may indicate that the model sold out, underscoring interest in the budding foldables market.

Unlike their traditional counterparts, these foldables feature flexible displays, enabling the devices to fold horizontally or vertically for a more compact way to carry around a larger display. The Fold and Flip models represent the two different foldable styles, each targeting a different type of user.

The Flip foldable is similar to old school flip phones, offering a very compact form factor, while the Fold is similar in size to an ordinary smartphone when folded, offering more screen real estate for power users. Samsung hasn't commented on the Galaxy Z Fold 2's disappearance from its US website, but we've reached out to the company for comment and will return with an update when we know more.