NEW YORK, Jan 24, 2026, 07:05 (EST)
- Samsung has begun hands-on demos of its Galaxy Z TriFold at select U.S. Samsung Experience Stores ahead of a planned U.S. launch.
- The company has not given a U.S. on-sale date or pricing, only an “early 2026” window.
- Demo locations span California, New York, Texas and Minnesota, with some stores also showing off Samsung’s Galaxy AI features.
Samsung has started letting customers try the Galaxy Z TriFold — a smartphone that folds twice into three panels — at a small number of Samsung Experience Stores in the United States as it builds toward a U.S. launch. (Samsung Global Newsroom)
The store push matters because Samsung is trying to widen interest in a new, pricier foldable format without committing to a hard U.S. release date. Android Central reported the company is not taking reservations or pre-orders yet and has only pointed to an “early 2026” U.S. debut, even as the device is already available in places such as South Korea and parts of the Middle East. (Android Central)
Demo sites include Samsung Experience Stores in California, New York and Texas, plus one at the Mall of America in Minnesota, according to 9to5Google. The outlet said the in-store sessions include hardware demos and software previews such as Galaxy AI, Samsung’s suite of AI features. (9to5Google)
The tri-fold pitch is simple: more screen when you want it, a phone-sized slab when you do not. The device unfolds to roughly a 10-inch display, a size that overlaps with small tablets.
Early hands-on coverage has focused as much on trade-offs as the spectacle. Tom’s Guide said it tried the TriFold at Samsung’s U.K. headquarters and found it extremely thin at its narrowest point, with a 6.5-inch outer display that expands to 10 inches when fully opened, while flagging an expected price range of about $2,400 to $2,500. (Tom’s Guide)
Samsung’s foldable lineup has leaned on the book-style Galaxy Z Fold series, a product it sells as premium rather than mass-market. A tri-fold raises the stakes on design — and on what buyers will tolerate day to day.
But the biggest questions are the old ones: cost, durability and how many people will actually buy one. When Samsung unveiled the model in December, Ryu Young-ho, a senior analyst at NH Investment & Securities, said it was “hard to see Samsung pushing large volumes at this stage,” while Counterpoint Research has projected foldables will remain a small slice of the overall smartphone market. (Reuters)
Samsung has not provided U.S. pricing, and the in-store program is a demo-only run rather than a sales launch. That leaves a clear uncertainty: whether shoppers who like the feel of the device will follow through once a final price tag and carrier availability are set.
For now, Samsung is using its own stores as a controlled showroom for a new form factor that is still rare on U.S. shelves. The next move — a firm launch date — is what the market will watch.
