When Samsung finally announced its dual-hinge foldable phone towards the end of 2025, I was admittedly intrigued. As a Pixel 9 Pro Fold owner, I’ve embraced the era of foldable phones and the TriFold has always intrigued me.
I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to pick up the Galaxy TriFold during CES 2026 and get a sneak peek at Samsung’s latest foldable device.
However, this isn’t the first tri-fold device I’ve encountered, as I spent a brief time with the Huawei Mate XT about a year ago. The main difference between this foldable device and Samsung’s is that the TriFold will actually be available in the US.
Yes, this futuristic phone will be available in the first quarter of 2026 and I realized that my current foldable phone doesn’t deliver what I actually want.
A foldable screen worth having
I open my Pixel 9 Pro Fold primarily when I want to stream videos while commuting or traveling, and I’m grateful for the extra screen real estate it provides, making for a more comfortable viewing experience.
However, as I carefully unfolded the Galaxy TriFold and fired up YouTube to watch some 4K videos, I realized that my foldable Pixel wasn’t providing the experience I bought it for.
When unfolded, the Galaxy TriFold gives you a large 10-inch screen, an increase over the 8-inch screen on my Pixel as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
While having an even larger screen that fits in my pocket is an obvious advantage, the real game-changer here is the aspect ratio that this dual-hinge design enables.
The TriFold’s internal screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is far better for maximizing video content than the 1:1 side screens of the standard book-style folding devices mentioned above.
This means smaller black bars around the content, so the video is significantly larger compared to how it plays on the cover screen. On my Pixel, I can rewatch Scrubs on the internal screen at a slightly larger scale than the title screen, but the square aspect ratio means a decent portion of the display is just black.
And it makes the difference. You immediately feel like you’re watching on a much larger screen. It turns out I was a little wrong with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and the TriFold showed me the light.
However, there are some disadvantages
With more screen and two hinges to stow away, the Galaxy TriFold is a particularly chunky candy bar phone when folded, measuring 12.9mm thick. For comparison, Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are both 8.8 mm thick, while Samsung’s Z Fold 7 is just a hair thicker at 8.9 mm.
This means you need generous pockets to fit the TriFold in comfortably, and when held in one hand it can feel bulky.
It’s also heavy at 309g, making it less attractive to use one-handed for long periods of time. And if you have smaller hands, the TriFold may well be too intrusive when folded.
Then there are the costs. While the Galaxy TriFold hasn’t been priced for the US yet, if we convert the South Korean Won price of KRW 3,594,000 (the phone is already available in Samsung’s home market), you could potentially be looking at around $2,500.
There is a possibility that the price will increase further once import and local taxes are applied. That means the TriFold will likely be out of financial reach for many.
But it’s still impressive
I’m impressed with the durability of the TriFold as it feels surprisingly sturdy when unfolded. When the hinges are fully open, they snap satisfactorily and the frame remains stable.
While it’s still far more delicate than our traditional smartphones, I wasn’t worried when opening and closing it and I’d bet it can survive a two-centimeter drop without issue (although any drop can potentially cause damage).
For a first-generation device of this form factor, Samsung has created a successful foldable device that delivers on its main promise: a 10-inch tablet screen that fits in your pocket.
Sure, it’ll be expensive when it launches in the coming months, but the Galaxy TriFold lays exciting groundwork for future generations of large-screen foldables.
Samsung also announced a massive 130-inch Micro RGB TV at CES and made it clear that everything will be powered by AI.
