Engadget's Mat Smith argues that Samsung's discontinued Galaxy Z TriFold remains more desirable than the new foldables unveiled at the company's summer Unpacked event, which included the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, a redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. The TriFold's tablet-like 4:3 display offered a more practical shape than the squarer screens on current foldables, and its unfolding form factor pointed towards genuine mobile productivity, such as pairing a Bluetooth keyboard to write or send emails on the move. This matters because Samsung pulled the device from sale within months, despite it hinting at where big-screen phone design could usefully go next.

The Galaxy Z TriFold launched in the US on 30 January 2026 for $2,900, following a limited South Korean release the previous year, but Samsung ended production by March and later described it as a "flagship showcase" rather than a genuine mass-market product. Rising RAM prices and the high cost of manufacturing a first-generation tri-fold device were cited as factors, and the phone never went on sale in many markets, including the UK. The author hopes the redesigned Z Fold 8's less square 7.6-inch screen signals that Samsung may still be moving towards the more spacious, practical proportions the TriFold offered, even as new foldable prices continue to climb.