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The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Z Tri-Fold A release date has finally been set, and it’s sooner than rumored Galaxy S26 Launching next month. Starting January 30, futurists who want the newest phone in the US can get one, but they’ll have to pay a hefty price: the device starts at $2,900.
Yes, at more than three times the price of A Galaxy S25you can get the most advanced — and certainly the most expensive — smartphone Samsung has ever put out. until Galaxy Z Fold 7which starts at $2,000 with 256GB of storage, and goes up to just $2,420 at the highest 1TB storage configuration.
As products across all industries become more expensive, phone makers have priced foldable devices at a higher level than more innovative flat smartphones (like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra). It appears that Samsung will use the dual-hinged Galaxy Z TriFold to set a cap on the price of smartphones.
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Anyone who buys the Galaxy Z TriFold will be getting one of the most technically impressive phones ever released in the US. But is the technology worth the cost?
The Galaxy Z TriFold turns in a 10-inch internal display that rivals full-sized tablet screens. It’s noticeably larger than the 8-inch internal display on the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s single-hinge foldable phone. The two titanium hinges were tested to withstand 200,000 folds, according to Samsung.
When unfolded, the Z TriFold is 3.9mm thick at its thinnest point. This is slightly outdone by the thinner 3.6mm Huawei Mate XT, which beat Samsung to the market for a full year by three times as unavailable in the US. This may be approaching the limit of the phone’s thinness, as it’s barely enough to accommodate the USB-C port on the bottom of either device.
The Galaxy Z TriFold and Huawei Mate XT are roughly similar in size and specifications, although Huawei’s EMUI operating system and lack of the familiar Google apps (due to a ban on US companies working with the Chinese phone maker) means Android fans may prefer the Samsung phone. The Huawei foldable is also more expensive, starting at €3,499 (about $4,150 today), and may not be compatible with US carriers out of the box.
Read more: Galaxy Z TriFold and Huawei Mate XT: One of them is the most versatile phone I’ve ever used
The Galaxy Z TriFold has a dedicated feature Snapdragon 8 Elite The chip, which is the same one that powered last year’s Galaxy S25 series. It will not contain the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Generation 5 Silicon, which will likely power this year’s most advanced Android devices (likely including the upcoming, but yet to be announced, Samsung Galaxy S26 series).
The Galaxy Z TriFold will start with 512GB of storage and will have a 5,600 mAh battery, which is larger than the Z Fold 7’s 4,400 mAh capacity unit. It recharges at 45 watts, which is typical for Samsung phones, although other premium Android devices have long since surpassed this rate, such as OnePlus 15 With 80W charging. It has three rear cameras (a 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera) and comes in a single color finish done in black.
Watch this: Galaxy Z TriFold hands-on: a true phone-tablet hybrid