The Price of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Is Simply Exorbitant.
In early December, Samsung announced its first tri-fold phone, which unfolds not once, but twice, to reveal a massive 10-inch display. It’s not the first tri-fold phone to hit the market, but since Huawei is technically banned from operating in the US , it’s the first phone scheduled for official release in the US. Now, the phone, dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, finally has an official release date . But it also has an official price, and it’s simply sky-high.
Folding phones have historically been quite expensive, but at $2,900 retail, the Galaxy Z TriFold is nearly $1,000 more expensive than the company’s current flagship foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Sure, being able to unfold it to a 10-inch display is like putting a laptop in your pocket, but then again, you can get a real laptop (and a very good one at that!) for less than half the price.
If the thought of shelling out over $3,000 after taxes doesn’t scare you off, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold goes on sale on January 30th and can be purchased online or in person at one of the seven Samsung Experience Stores in California, Minnesota, New York, and Texas. If you have a physical store near you, you might want to check availability—Samsung isn’t taking pre-orders for this phone, and despite its high price, it sold out in minutes during its South Korean launch.
While Samsung sells a 1TB model internationally, only the base model will be available at launch in the US. This TriFold version comes in black and offers 512GB of storage. It features a high-resolution 2160 x 1584-pixel internal display, a 2520 x 1080-pixel external display, a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and a powerful 200-megapixel main camera (though the other lenses aren’t as powerful as those on non-folding phones). And yes, both screens are AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate.
For some, the new feature may be worth it, and I suppose buying the TriFold instead of a phone and tablet separately might help justify the price. However, right now, you can buy the non-folding Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for $1,050 , add an iPad Pro for $899 , and still save $1,000 compared to the cost of this new gadget.
If you’re unsure, the Samsung Experience stores mentioned above offer demos of the TriFold to try before you buy, though the limited number of these stores may not be available to many.
More affordable foldable phones than the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold.
Almost all foldable phones on the market right now are expensive, but if you absolutely need a foldable phone but can’t justify the cost of a tri-fold model, there are other, cheaper options.
The most obvious alternative is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 , which is still pricey ($2,000 retail), though you can save money if you find a good deal or take advantage of a special promotion. It has most of the same specs as the TriFold, though the internal screen maxes out at 8 inches instead of 10. It’s still a good value, as the extra two inches would have cost $450. I was currently able to find a deal on Amazon where they’re selling for $1,600 , though supplies are limited.
If you’re forced to pay full price, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold , which starts at $1,800, might be a better choice. It also features an 8-inch internal display, though Google’s Tensor chips are generally not as powerful as the Snapdragon chips used in the Galaxy series, and the main camera is significantly inferior to the 200-megapixel camera found in the Z Fold 7 and TriFold.
There are also flip phones, though they aren’t a full-fledged replacement for foldable phones. Instead of opening horizontally to reveal a larger screen, they open vertically, revealing a standard-sized screen. In this sense, they’re more suited for portability than for additional features, but they’re much cheaper—the latest Motorola Razr currently sells for $400 (MSRP $700), and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 for $900 (MSRP $1,100).
Finally, you can wait for the rumored iPhone Fold , expected later this year. Initial rumors point to a price somewhere between $2,100 and $2,500, and while that certainly includes the “Apple tax,” it’s still significantly cheaper than the TriFold.