Samsung seems to be abandoning its Z foldable trademark, most likely as a result of its affiliation with Russia’s recent military aggressiveness.
Samsung Drops the ‘Z’ From its Brand
Samsung is currently marketing its newest foldable phones as the Galaxy Fold3 and Galaxy Flip3 in certain Eastern European countries including Estonia and Latvia, with no mention of the Z. (as spotted by tipster Ishan Agarwal, via XDA).
Samsung is making an effort to ensure that this change is noticed across all retail channels, as new Z-less boxes are reportedly being printed as well. Most Western areas, such as the United States and Latin America, are still selling the devices as the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, so it’s not a global transformation just yet.
Samsung is yet to make an official statement on this change. Even if there’s nothing official, it’s not a tremendous leap of faith to believe that current geopolitical events could be to blame. The letter Z is being painted on Russian military units during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, apparently to assist Russians to distinguish themselves from Ukrainian forces. It eventually became a pro-invasion propaganda emblem that was exploited by both the Kremlin and Russian allies.
Samsung is one of the corporations withdrawing out of Russia as a result of the invasion, so it seems natural that the company would want to separate itself from symbols associated with a pro-war mentality.
