Worth the wait
It’s expensive. It’s fragile. It’s limited in supply. Yet, it’s gone again.
The momentum isn’t just online. According to Wave7 Research’s January 2026 smartphone report, 15 customers lined up outside the Samsung Experience store at Los Cerritos Mall in California before it opened to get their hands on the Galaxy Z TriFold. That’s approximately 15 more people than have queued for a Samsung launch in recent memory, but don’t quote me on that.
What does this signify?
The apparent popularity of the Galaxy Z TriFold doesn’t necessarily mean there is broad demand for it. It’s a nascent category, and Samsung will only produce a few units, which explains why restocks get snapped up fast.
We read the Galaxy Z TriFold launch line to be an indication of solid interest among techies and Samsung fans, not that the TriFold will be broadly adopted. I suspect that it will have a niche among techies and enterprise users.
Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research, February 2026
Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research, says it has caught the attention of techies and Samsung fans, but expects it to remain a niche product.
The bigger picture
While a $2,900 phone with questionable durability isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the Galaxy Z TriFold appears to have made a mark on American customers. Samsung has been making foldable phones for seven years, but the TriFold is the first to get people camping outside a store. If Samsung wants to break Apple’s monopoly in the US, scaling TriFold production should be at the top of its agenda.
