Caviar Lists $13,130 Messi Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Before Samsung's July 22 Launch

Q: As Messi aims for a final World Cup win, is this phone a true tribute or just clever luxury marketing?

It is more clever luxury marketing than a pure tribute, though it clearly borrows the language and symbolism of homage. The tribute element is real on the surface. Caviar is using labor-intensive cloisonné enamel, 24-karat gold accents, Messi’s No. 10, and Argentine symbols to turn the phone into a collectible object tied to a major moment in his career. The timing, just before what is widely expected to be Messi’s final World Cup final, gives the release emotional weight. But the commercial logic is stronger. At $13,130 and limited to 19 units, the product is aimed not at Messi’s broad fan base but at ultra-wealthy collectors. The searched material shows this fits a growing luxury-phone market driven by exclusivity, personalization, and status rather than better technology. Caviar is not adding new Samsung features or revealing anything meaningful about the Fold 8 Ultra; it is monetizing scarcity, craftsmanship, and Messi’s global brand. That does not make the phone insincere. In luxury goods, tribute and marketing often work together. The hand-crafted design gives it more legitimacy than a simple branded case or logo stamp. Still, the core value proposition is not access, utility, or fandom at scale. It is rarity. So the fairest reading is that this is a genuine artistic nod to Messi packaged primarily as a high-end marketing product: a luxury collectible that honors him, but is designed above all to sell exclusivity.

3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Jul 17

$13,130 is the asking price for Caviar's Messi-branded Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, putting an unreleased Samsung foldable on sale online before Samsung has formally confirmed the model.
Caviar's July 15 'Legends' collection pairs Lionel Messi with the Fold 8 Ultra and Cristiano Ronaldo with an iPhone, using 24-karat gold plating and limiting the run to 19 pieces worldwide.
Samsung has only said it will share foldable news at its July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London, where the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are widely expected.
The listing leaves open whether Caviar used official imagery or concept renders, underscoring how little Samsung has disclosed beyond a new Flex Titanium display.