This could be why the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is not available in the UK

Owners of Samsung's new TriFold folding phone have taken to Reddit to share the experience, with a couple reporting some unfortunate problems – even though the device itself sold out quickly after its initial release in the US.

According to a couple of users (via Android Headlines), the internal screens have stopped working. The first user called Odd-Drawer6410 says that they have had the device for about a month and a half, but then the inner screen went black and became unresponsive.

The owner goes on to explain that they tried a reboot which temporarily brought back the screen, but a day later, it went off again. Repeated reboots (and leaving the phone for "an hour or two") saw the screen come back on again.

While some users suggest this could be similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 screen bug, the poster now reports that Samsung has taken the phone back for repair, with comments suggesting it's a faulty ribbon cable.

The poster isn't alone, as another owner (ThoughtIII3676) reports that their inner screen died after just five days of ownership. In this case, it's said that the screen went white and stopped responding, while there's also a popping noise while folding and unfolding the phone.

It's noted that there appears to be an air bubble within the screen, which might be the cause of the fault – and could point a manufacturing issue. In this case, the owner is returning the device to Samsung.

In both cases, the owners say that the device hasn't been dropped or mistreated in any way and at the moment, this could just be a couple of isolated incidents that have been highlighted because it's a first-generation device.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold a test device?

For all the advancements in folding phones, those flexible displays still aren't as stable as a traditional device where everything is fixed in place. Anecdotally, having owned three different versions of the Galaxy Z Flip, I can attest to things like screen covers separating at the fold, and screen damage from the gentlest of drops.

The launch of the Galaxy Z TriFold in the US has been met with excitement, with reports that the folding phone sold out, while Samsung is bringing in more stock to meet demands. But could this also be the reason while the launch was limited in numbers and regions?

It might be that folding phones of this type need a little more time to develop to withstand use out in the real world. It's not unheard of for first-gen devices to experience these type of problems.

While that's sad for the early adopters, those of us biding our time until the second- or third-generation models salute you for your efforts!