The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold’s Price Is Eye-Watering

In early December, Samsung announced its first triple foldable phone, which opens not once, but twice, unfolding into a massive 10-inch screen. This isn’t the first triple foldable phone to hit the market, but since Huawei is technically banned from operating in the US, it’s the first scheduled to officially arrive in the US. Now the phone, called Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, finally has an official release date. But it also has an official price, and it’s mind-blowing.

Foldable phones have always been quite expensive, but with a retail price of $2,900, the Galaxy Z TriFold costs almost $1,000 more than the company’s current foldable flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Granted, being able to unfold it onto a 10-inch screen is a bit like putting a laptop in your pocket, but then you can get a real laptop (a really good computer!) for less than half the price.

If the idea of ​​shelling out more than three grand after taxes doesn’t deter you, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold goes on sale January 30 and can be purchased online or in person at one of Samsung’s Experience Stores, with seven locations in California, Minnesota, New York, and Texas. If you have a physical store near you, it might be worth checking their stock: Samsung won’t be accepting pre-orders for this phone, and despite the high price, it sold out in minutes when it launched in South Korea.

Although Samsung will sell a 1TB model overseas, the base model will be the one that US customers can purchase at launch. This version of the TriFold comes in black and offers 512 GB of storage. It features a high-resolution 2160 x 1584 interior display, a 2520 x 1080 exterior display, the top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and a powerful 200MP main camera (although the other lenses aren’t as powerful as those on non-foldable phones). And yes, the screens are both AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The novelty might be worth it for some, and I suppose if you buy the TriFold instead of a phone and tablet separately, it might help justify the price. Still, right now you can get a non-foldable Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for $1,050, add an iPad Pro for $899, and save $1,000 on the cost of this new gadget.

If you’re unsure, the aforementioned Samsung Experience stores offer demos of the TriFold so you can try it before you buy, although the sparse selection of locations means this won’t be an option for many.

Foldable phones more affordable than the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold

Almost all foldable phones on the market right now are expensive, but if you must have a foldable phone but can’t justify the cost of a triple-folding model, there are other, cheaper options.

The most obvious alternative is Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7which remains expensive at its $2,000 retail price, although you can pay less if you manage to score a special deal or promotion. It’ll give you most of the same specs as the TriFold, although the interior screen maxes out at 8 inches instead of 10 inches. That’s still not a bad deal, since those extra two inches would cost $450 apiece. Currently, I managed to find an Amazon deal selling them for $1,600, although supply is limited.

If you have to pay full price, you might prefer the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at $1,800. This will also give you an 8-inch interior display, although Google’s Tensor chips tend not to be as powerful as the Snapdragon chips that come with the Galaxy series, and the main camera is well below the 200 MP one found on the Z Fold 7 and TriFold.

There are also flip phones, although they aren’t really a replacement for foldable phones. Instead of opening horizontally for a larger screen, they open vertically to reveal a standard phone-sized screen. In this way, they’re better in terms of portability than extra features, but they’re much cheaper: the most recent Motorola Razr is currently on sale for $400 (MSRP $700), while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is on sale for $900 (MSRP $1,100).

Finally, you might consider waiting for the rumored iPhone Fold to release later this year. Early rumors put the price between $2,100 and $2,500, and while the price definitely includes Apple tax, it’s still much cheaper than the TriFold.