Tri-fold smartphones continue to occupy a niche in the mobile foldable market, with early attempts like Huawei’s Mate XT demonstrating both the promise and practical challenges of multiple folding panels. Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold now enters the segment with a bold design, claiming to blend smartphone portability with tablet-sized productivity.
Yet, despite the ambition, it raises the question: Is this truly practical, or simply a premium experiment?
The Display
The Galaxy Z TriFold unfolds twice to reveal a 10.0-inch internal Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2160 x 1584 pixels, 269 ppi, and an adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate. Samsung claims the display achieves 100% Mobile Colour Volume in the DCI-P3 range, ensuring vivid colours across different brightness levels, with a peak brightness of 1,600 nits.
Complementing this is a 6.5-inch cover screen in FHD+, 2520 x 1080 resolution, 422 ppi, 120 Hz adaptive refresh, and peak 2,600 nits brightness. Both screens include camera cutouts, slightly reducing the actual viewable area.
Despite being called a “TriFold,” like the Huawei Mate XT, the device has only two hinges dividing three panels, effectively making it a “Duo” fold rather than a true tri-fold.
Unlike Huawei’s Mate XT, Samsung’s inward-fold design fully protects the soft main display from scratches and impacts. This improved durability, however, comes at a cost, as early images suggest the device may need to be turned around before fully unfolding, making it slightly less intuitive to use.
The Performance
Samsung has chosen the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy to power the Galaxy Z TriFold, paired with 16 GB of RAM and storage options of 512 GB or 1 TB. The device notably does not use the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which could indicate either optimisation for the tri-fold form factor or cost considerations.
The Galaxy Z TriFold runs Android 16 with One UI 8 and supports multi-window multitasking, allowing up to three apps to run simultaneously on the unfolded display. It is also the first Galaxy smartphone to support standalone Samsung DeX, just like on Samsung’s premium tablets.
The Camera
The Galaxy Z TriFold’s rear camera system includes a 200 MP wide sensor, a 12 MP ultra-wide lens with 120° field of view, and a 10 MP telephoto lens offering three times optical zoom and up to 30x Space Zoom. Front-facing cameras include 10 MP sensors on both the cover and internal screens.
Samsung’s AI-powered software supports advanced photography features, including Night Mode, HDR10+ video, and scene-optimisation AI.
The Battery and Charging
Battery capacity is delivered through a three-cell 5,600mAh system, with one cell dedicated to each panel. The phone supports Super-Fast Charging 2.0 at 45W, capable of reaching roughly 50% charge in 30 minutes under lab conditions, as well as 15W wireless fast charging and reverse wireless charging for other compatible devices.
The Durability
Structurally, Samsung reinforces the Galaxy Z TriFold with dual titanium hinges and a shock-absorbing display layer. The frame combines Advanced Armor Aluminum with titanium hinge housing, while the back panel uses ceramic-glass fibre-reinforced polymer for thinness and durability.
Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protects the cover screen, and the device is rated IP48 for water resistance in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for 30 minutes. The Galaxy Z TriFold weighs approximately 309 grams and measures 12.9 mm thick when folded, expanding to 3.9 to 4.2 mm at different points when unfolded.
Connectivity includes 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. The device accommodates up to two Nano SIM cards and eSIMs, though microSD expansion is not supported.
Security is handled by Samsung Knox and Knox Vault, while the side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor and multiple environmental sensors (accelerometer, gyro, geomagnetic, barometer, hall, proximity, and light) support a robust and responsive experience.
Pricing and Availability
Samsung launches the Galaxy Z TriFold on 12 December 2025 in South Korea, with expansion planned for China, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UAE, and a US release expected in early 2026.
According to Reuters, the Korean launch price is KRW 3,590,400 (approximately US $2,440), with Malaysian pricing yet to be announced. For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with 512GB of storage launched with a price tag of KRW 2,537,700.
While the Galaxy Z TriFold showcases Samsung’s engineering expertise, the high price point suggests it will appeal primarily to early adopters and power users. For most consumers, it remains an ambitious but expensive experiment rather than a practical, everyday device.
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold: Is This the Future of Foldable Phones or Just a Premium Experiment?
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