How much will the Galaxy Z TriFold cost? It’s going to be the most expensive phone most people have ever seen. But how much will it cost, and more importantly, how much will you actually pay? I have an idea.
The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate is the most expensive phone on the global market right now, and it’s only available in select markets in Asia. It’s the first trifold phone, but its design is notably different from Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold. It also costs the equivalent of $3,400 locally, based on my online shopping and currency conversion.
I’ve heard that imports are available for more than US $4,000 if you can find a grey-market site that carries them, but I wouldn’t recommend buying a phone that doesn’t work on local networks or carry a local warranty.
Will the Galaxy Z TriFold cost as much as the Mate XT? No way
First, Samsung’s trifoldable is either a 6.5-inch phone or a 10-inch tablet. There is no in-between mode with two display panels active. It’s either one or three. That’s different from Huawei’s phone. It’s a simpler design, which means it should cut costs.
After all, Huawei’s phone needs to black out one of the three foldable panels. Then it needs to be extra durable, since that panel is bent around the back, leaving the glass exposed. Then there is the development work that goes into making the feature work seamlessly. Remove all of that, and Samsung should save some money.
Second, Huawei has to make its own chips because it is banned from using chips designed in concert with US companies. Samsung is using last year’s phenomenal Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. That also cuts costs. Presumably, Samsung ordered a huge bunch of the Qualcomm chips that have the company name tacked on. That makes them cheaper than a brand-new bespoke chipset.
Using last year’s Snapdragon is a very smart move. Samsung’s developers have spent the year fixing bugs and launching updates for phones with this chipset inside – the entire Galaxy S25 family and the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That means less development to get this chipset running on a whole new form factor.
Finally, while Samsung may not sell a ton of Galaxy Z TriFold devices, it will certainly sell them to its biggest customers – the wireless carriers. You’ll be able to buy this phone with a contract agreement from your favorite network provider, and that’s how a phone this expensive will seem relatively affordable. It will be a monthly subscription-like fee you’ll pay for three years.
Most people will pay for this phone on a monthly plan
If the Galaxy Z TriFold cost $2,799, it would be available on AT&T and Verizon for $77.75 per month
That’s where I begin with my price estimate: not the full retail price, but the monthly price that most customers will see. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 costs $1,999 / £1,999, and both AT&T and Verizon will give it to you for $55.55 per month for 36 months.
If the Galaxy Z TriFold costs as much as the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, we can expect Verizon will sell it for $94.44 per month. That’s… wow, that’s a lot of money, on top of the $65 minimum you’ll pay for a qualifying monthly plan.
On the other hand, if the Galaxy Z TriFold cost $2,799, it would be available on AT&T and Verizon for $77.75 per month.
That’s a more friendly-looking number. Not so scary. Come and pet the big, weird phone. It won’t bite. Take it home and feed it. It hardly costs anything.
My prediction? About $1,000 more than the Z Fold 7
I predict the Galaxy Z TriFold will start at $2,799 / £2,799 / AU$6,000. That price would be aggressive versus Huawei, which is what Samsung needs.
It would give Samsung’s retail partners a friendly price tag to sell an incredibly expensive phone. It also adds less than $1,000 to the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but you get one more fold. If I’m wrong, I think my guess will be too low, but I would bet my last crease that $2,799 will be the launch price.
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philip.berne@futurenet.com (Philip Berne)
