Samsung spotlights Galaxy Z TriFold at CES 2026, pitching a phone-tablet hybrid

Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold emerged as another major attraction at First Look 2026 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with the company positioning the device as its latest step in foldable innovation — and a clear attempt to push the phone-tablet idea into a more practical, everyday form factor.

Samsung’s pitch rests on the device’s dual personality: a conventional phone experience when closed, and a much larger screen when opened.While it is called a “tri fold,” it technically folds twice but has three panels, and the form factor is being described as a true phone-tablet hybrid that stands apart from bar-style smartphones. The emphasis, according to the inputs, is less on flashy claims and more on everyday utility — “its value appears to lie less in flashy specs about its thinness and more in its utility and practicality.”On physical design, the device is described as impressively slim when open: 3.9mm at its thinnest point and 4.2mm at its thickest , with a weight of 309 grams. When closed, however, the device is noted to be 12.9mm thick, described as “slightly chunky,” even as the cover display is said to feel close to using a non-folding phone.The story, as laid out in the inputs, is that this device is primarily about productivity on the go.

The 6.5-inch cover display is positioned for typical phone use, while the 10-inch internal display is meant to provide enough screen real estate to “watch a movie, multitask or type up a paper.” That duality is being framed as the point — and as a niche Samsung believes still isn’t fully addressed by existing book-style foldables.Samsung’s rollout plan, as shared, is already in motion in parts of Asia and the Middle East.

The Z TriFold is already available in Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Samsung has also said it will launch in the US in the first quarter of this year, while India is yet to be announced.At the event, TM Roh — Chief Executive Officer, President, and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics — described the device as a direct response to a long-running industry challenge. He says, “Through years of innovation in foldable form factors, Galaxy Z TriFold solves one of the mobile industry’s longest-standing challenges — delivering the perfect balance between portability, premium performance, and productivity all in one device"The inputs also outline several headline hardware elements Samsung is attaching to the TriFold message: a 200 MP camera, and what is described as the biggest battery Samsung has ever had in a foldable phone.

The battery is listed as a 5,600 mAh three-cell battery system, with the detail that it has been placed in each of the three panels of the device for balanced power deliver.Another key engineering detail highlighted is the hinge system. The TriFold uses two differently sized hinges with a dual-rail structure that “work in harmony.” Samsung is also pointing to the way the hinge design supports a slimmer profile, stating that the hinge structure allows the screen panels to meet securely with a minimal gap, enabling the device to be thin and portable.