For a while, I only thought of myself as a flip phone guy. I loved the idea of a phone that only took up half of my pocket, and I didn’t really care what companies did with their book-style foldables. Then, Samsung launched its Galaxy Z Fold 7, and it quickly won me over. Sure, it was probably a little too expensive, but the hardware felt brilliant, and I finally figured out how to use a device like this as a regular phone, which kind of justified the whole experience.
Is $2,900 too much money for the Galaxy Z TriFold? 246 votes Yes! That's way too expensive for a phone. 77 % No, that's the price of innovation. 23 %
Now, though, I think Samsung has jumped the shark. Its Galaxy Z TriFold is as ambitious as its price is eye-watering, and I don’t see how anyone can justify buying one at launch. Here’s why I’d rather exercise a boatload of caution.
Paying for risk, paying for reward
Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority
At $2,900 — yes, $100 below the nearly unbelievable $3,000 threshold — the Galaxy Z TriFold is expensive. In fact, calling it merely expensive is putting it mildly. You could go through Samsung’s entire inventory and build an impressive personal tech setup or half a smart home for that money. It’s not the type of purchase you make lightly, nor is it one you make more than once.
Of course, if you’re actually considering the Galaxy Z TriFold, you already know that. You already know it’s going to cost a lot up front, but you might not be considering all of Samsung’s extra costs. You might not be thinking about the accessories you’d need to flesh out your experience, like a Bluetooth keyboard and a three-piece (or more) case that hopefully keeps parts of your purchase safe.
Oh, and then there’s the potential for repair costs. Samsung has already confirmed that it’ll offer a one-time 50% discount on display repairs for Galaxy Z TriFold buyers. Right now, a repair for the single-folding Galaxy Z Fold 7 costs around $600 before any discounts, so I’d be shocked if an equivalent fix for the TriFold comes in under $1,000. In fact, in Korea, the Galaxy Z TriFold’s display reportedly costs as much as ~$1,243 to fix. Now imagine if you manage to break the phone’s display more than once as you get used to this brand-new form factor.
$2,900 gets you in the door, but what about accessories and repairs?
I know, I know, durability isn’t something we’ve had to talk about too much across recent generations of Samsung foldables. The displays and hinges are tougher than ever, and it’s no longer unheard of for a foldable to ship with an IP rating that actually covers both water and dust. That’s the case for single-folding phones, though, and this is… not that.
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