On the morning of Jan. 30, my colleagues and I hopped online at the crack of dawn to try to snag a hot commodity. No, it wasn’t for a sneaker drop or tickets to Harry Styles’ concert. It was for a phone.

But not just any phone. We were vying to get our hands on Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold, which had already launched in other parts of the world last month and reportedly sold out there in minutes. We expected a similar outcome with the trifold’s arrival in the US — despite its $2,900 price tag — given all the buzz it had generated and the seemingly limited supply of devices. 

In fact, the number of Galaxy Z TriFold devices is apparently so sparse that Samsung didn’t give CNET or other journalists review units, as it typically does when launching a new phone. Hence why we were online shopping before the sun was up.

As the clock struck 7 a.m. PT, it was off to the races. Four of my teammates and I went through the process of trying to secure Samsung’s new dual-folding phone. We just needed one person to be successful. Almost instantly, everyone was met with a note that the phone was sold out — except for me. 

Miraculously, I was able to add the trifold to my shopping cart and complete the $3,164.05 transaction (my total after taxes and a California Battery Recycling Fee). In the end, it was truly a game of chance, and the odds were apparently in my favor.

Now the fun begins. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, big and small, as I use the Galaxy Z TriFold every day. I got some hands-on time with the phone during CES, but now, I’ll actually get to live with it and see if it really can function as a practical phone-tablet hybrid. 

Is the 6.5-inch cover display a good size for most tasks? Will I get used to how the phone feels when it’s folded shut, or will those three panels stacked together be a little clunky? Is the 10-inch internal display really helpful for multitasking and doing work? 

I’ll be sharing those insights, and many more, in this blog. Be sure to follow along for my many musings along the way.