There have been two notable developments in the Samsung world in recent days. First, the brand launched the incredibly expensive Galaxy Z TriFold without seemingly much fanfare. Secondly, said device sold out quickly; in fact, within a few hours.
This is quite unusual for Samsung devices, especially since there were no typical trade-in offers normally seen on these devices. It seems like a lot of people were happy to pay $2,899 upfront for the Galaxy Z TriFold without even having to trade in an old device for a discount.
The Galaxy Z TriFold was an unusual launch
The TriFold launch was developed as a soft launch or even a beta version.
One of the telltale signs that Samsung was planning something a little different with the launch of the TriFold is that the brand didn't run its usual pre-order campaign for the device.
One of Samsung's signature moves is to run an email sign-up campaign in the run-up to the launch to generate excitement for the new model. It usually shows a few features here or there without revealing any concrete details. Of course, everyone knows what models are going to be released; Like Apple, Samsung always maintains its usual release schedule.
The TriFold was somewhat unusual in that Samsung announced the device, gave it hands-on time to the press, and even told us the price before launch. This time the device wasn't even put on pre-order, although I believe a select few potential customers received early access via the Samsung app.
In my opinion, the entire TriFold release has been developed as a soft launch, or even a beta run. I can't imagine the brand sold many of these devices for the heady sum of $2,899, so it was probably a fairly limited run to prove that the TriFold concept has legs.
I hope Samsung follows through on the plan for the S26
what I'm waiting for
Trade-in rebates typically range from $800 to $1,100
On the topic of the upcoming Galaxy S26, I hope Samsung returns to its proven methods. There may not be a pre-order campaign, but the brand will almost certainly have a small pre-order window with big trade-in rebates and, unlike the TriFold, you can expect the devices to be available on major carriers as well.
At the time of writing, Samsung hasn't confirmed any pricing, but I imagine it will be between $800 and $1,299 if you buy a fully unlocked device. For rebates, they typically range between $800 and $1,100, with the biggest discounts tied to 24- and 36-month unlimited plans at major carriers.
The Galaxy TriFold is, as far as I know, the only phone launch from a major brand in recent times that deviates from the usual trade-in scenario. I would be surprised if there wasn't some kind of huge discount on the device for possible pre-orders. Of course, if the Galaxy S26 is released and there isn't a big trade-in rebate, you can email me in a few weeks and cite this article.
More Galaxy S26 content on TechRadar
If you're looking to get a fantastic rundown of the most likely features and specifications of upcoming phones, I recommend checking out our Galaxy S26 rumor ranking page. As a brief overview, we think the most likely updates will be a new privacy screen, chipset, and magnetic wireless charging. There is also an external possibility that the devices can It will debut at a higher price due to the current RAM shortage crisis.
Expect plenty more updates and reports as we get closer to the end of February, which is when we expect these devices to drop, including the best pre-order deals once the devices are finally available.
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