Samsung enjoys good alphabet branding, and following the launch of the Galaxy Fold in 2019, the business unified its foldable portfolio under a new series: Galaxy Fold. Starting with the first Z Flip, Galaxy Z has become the brand’s umbrella for all foldable phones, just like Galaxy S denotes flagships and Galaxy A denotes budget/mid-range handsets. However, in the year 2022, the letter Z has taken on a new, ignoble connotation. Samsung appears 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 looks to be 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 — but don’t be shocked if Samsung’s attempt expands in breadth very soon.
Samsung hasn’t made any 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. If you’re not sure what’s up with the letter Z, it’s being painted on Russian military units during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, apparently to assist Russians 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 pro-war mentality.
