If you like your phones as ambitious as your wallet is wary, Samsung just made a very deliberate statement. The Galaxy Z TriFold — a handset that folds twice to become a 10-inch tablet — will go on sale in the U.S. this week with a starting price of $2,899.
I saw early reactions to the device at CES and in preview coverage: people admire the engineering, then wince at the sticker. That reaction captures the TriFold in a nutshell — an attention-grabbing technical achievement that asks buyers to pay for rarity and scale.
When and where you can handle one
Samsung says U.S. buyers can try the TriFold at Samsung Experience Stores starting January 27, with sales beginning January 30. If you want to feel the twin hinges and the giant unfolded display before committing, those store demos are your chance.
What you get for $2,899
At that price you’re looking at the 512GB version (Samsung hasn’t confirmed a U.S. price for the 1TB variant). Specs worth noting:
- A 10-inch inner display (2,160 x 1,584) that opens into a near-tablet aspect ratio; a 6.5-inch cover screen (2,520 x 1,080)
- Snapdragon 8 Elite tuned for Galaxy phones
- 16GB of RAM and 512GB (or optional 1TB) storage
- A 5,600 mAh battery and 45W wired charging
- Three rear cameras, led by a 200MP main sensor, plus ultrawide and telephoto lenses
- Twin titanium hinges and new display reinforcement tech; Samsung says the main screen passed a 200,000 multi-fold test
- A thinnest-point measurement of 3.9mm when unfolded into its slimmest cross-section
Those highlights are the same parts of the story that make early reviewers marvel: the inner screen is genuinely big enough to replace a small tablet for many tasks, and Samsung has clearly pushed materials and hinge design to pack all that into something that still closes like a phone.
Price context and durability questions
At $2,899 the TriFold is the most expensive mainstream phone Samsung has sold in the U.S., and it sets a new upper bound for Android hardware here. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts around $2,000; Huawei shipped a trifold last year but it hasn’t been a practical option for U.S. buyers and costs more in euro-denominated markets.
Durability is the essential follow-up question. Samsung points to titanium hinges and a reinforced overcoat on the display, plus the 200,000-cycle test (roughly the equivalent of folding the phone 100 times a day for five years). That’s reassuring on paper, but a twice-folding design simply has more moving parts and more potential failure modes than a single-hinge foldable. Samsung offered a one-time 50% discount on display repair for TriFold buyers in some markets earlier, but the U.S. announcement didn’t explicitly include that benefit — something to watch for if you’re buying.
The software and AI angle
The TriFold ships with Samsung’s Galaxy AI features and includes a six-month trial of Google AI Pro, which bundles access to Google’s Gemini models and other advanced tools plus cloud storage. If you plan to use the device as a laptop or tablet replacement — think DeX-style multitasking on a larger display — those AI features and extra cloud storage could matter. For broader context on Gemini and how Google is folding its models into search and productivity tools, see developments in Gemini’s Deep Research integration.
This device also feels like a stopgap before Samsung’s next big releases: it arrives days before the expected Galaxy S26 announcements, and it uses a Snapdragon 8 Elite variant rather than a next-gen Gen 5 chip that may show up in the S26 line. If you’re tracking Samsung’s roadmap and how the company experiments with form factors, consider how the TriFold follows earlier prototypes and concept moves from the company’s foldable program; that backstory is worth revisiting in the piece about Samsung’s Tri‑Fold prototype and its compromises.
Who should consider buying — and who should wait
The short answer: early adopters and power users who truly want the biggest, most pocketable tablet-like display will find the TriFold tempting. If you run productivity workflows on your phone, crave a single-device setup for travel, or are obsessed with cutting-edge mobile hardware, it’s an intriguing option.
If price, long-term value, or repair risk worries you, waiting could be wise. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 already delivers many of the same strengths at a lower price, and Samsung’s upcoming flagship lineup may introduce newer silicon and possibly better deals.
For readers tracking how Samsung positions its foldables within a broader product lineup, this launch hints at two things: the company is willing to push form-factor experiments into premium territory, and it’s preparing to sell them to a market that will pay to own the headline-making device. If you want the novelty and the big screen now, the TriFold is in stores this week. If you’d rather see whether the form factor catches on (and whether prices soften), waiting will likely pay off.
For more on Samsung’s broader plans and the phones expected this year, check the Galaxy S26 preview.