Smartphones, in many ways, have begun to feel repetitive. Similar bar-style designs, prominent camera bumps and near-identical silhouettes mean most phones today look and feel largely the same. Foldables, however, continue to offer a break from this sameness. Whether in clamshell or book-style form factors, they not only stand apart visually but also introduce practical use cases that conventional smartphones cannot.
Samsung entered the foldable space with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019 and, over the past seven years, has steadily pushed the category forward. What began as an experimental form factor has moved closer to the mainstream, culminating in Samsung’s most ambitious foldable yet: the Galaxy Z TriFold.
As the name suggests, the Galaxy Z TriFold features three folding display panels supported by two hinges. I spent some time using the device across everyday scenarios to understand how the additional screen real estate translates into real-world functionality. These are my initial impressions of Samsung’s first tri-fold smartphone.
Fold it for a smartphone, unfold it for a tablet
The first time I held the Z TriFold, it felt slightly surreal, like the long-standing idea of a foldable tablet finally made real. What stands out immediately is just how thin it is. At its thinnest point, the phone measures 3.9mm, which is remarkable given that it folds twice. When folded, however, it is 12.9mm thick. For perspective, the Z Fold 6 measures 12.1mm when folded and weighs 309g. By comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233g, despite having a single display.
Samsung, true to form, has prioritised safety and durability. The company has opted for a U-shaped folding mechanism, where the folding display is fully protected on the inside while the cover display remains exposed at the front. This reduces the risk of damage to the main panel when the device is not in use and should improve long-term durability. Adding to this is a carbon-fibre back, which not only improves structural rigidity but also helps keep the weight in check.
In terms of displays, the cover screen is a 6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel (2520 x 1080, 21:9), with 422ppi, up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1–120Hz). The unfolded display expands to a 10-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel (2160 x 1584), offering 269ppi, 1,600 nits of peak brightness and the same 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
The cover display is essentially identical to the one on the Z Fold 7, and there is little new to report there. The 10-inch foldable panel, however, is where things get interesting. With a more landscape-oriented aspect ratio, content feels more natural. Videos play with fewer black bars at the top and bottom, and apps and websites open more like they would on a full-fledged tablet. I will get into the user experience in more detail later.
The opening and closing mechanism deserves a mention too. Given the complexity of the folding system, the Z TriFold prefers to be folded in a specific order. To prevent accidental damage, Samsung has implemented a fairly strict warning system that alerts users if they attempt to fold it incorrectly. The two hinges are also different in size. The hinge attached to the main panel is larger, while the hinge between the second and third panels is smaller. According to
Samsung, this asymmetry helps all three panels lie flat when fully opened, delivering a proper 10-inch viewing experience. Notably, the second panel partially opens automatically when you unfold the first panel, which reduces the risk of scraping or stressing the folding display.
Phone, tablet or PC – the choice is yours
It is clear that the Z TriFold is designed to replace three devices: a phone when folded, a tablet when fully unfolded, and a PC-like machine when paired with the right accessories. Each mode feels distinct.
The 6.5-inch cover display behaves like a conventional bar-style phone, similar to using a Galaxy S25 Ultra. The fully unfolded 10-inch display, on the other hand, feels closer to a Galaxy Tab S11, albeit with a few additional tricks.
Samsung has optimised One UI to take advantage of the larger canvas, and many apps are already tuned to make better use of the extra space. The 10-inch folding display is where the experience really shines. If you have used a Samsung tablet before, the interface will feel familiar, but the key difference here is portability. This is effectively a very thin 10-inch tablet that can fold down and fit into a pocket.
Apps and websites open in full layouts, and while third-party optimisation will take time, Samsung’s own apps already feel well thought out. The photo-editing interface, for example, offers a clearer, more spacious layout with side-by-side before-and-after previews, similar to what you would expect on a PC. AI-powered features also benefit from the additional screen space. The File Manager now displays the main directory, subfolders and file previews on a single screen, reducing the need to jump back and forth.
Multitasking has been improved as well. You can run three apps side by side, each in a phone-like vertical layout, effectively turning the display into three narrow screens at once.
This brings us to the PC-like experience. Samsung has built native DeX support directly into the Z TriFold. On most Galaxy smartphones, DeX requires an external display. Here, you can enable it directly on the 10-inch screen. Pair the device with a keyboard and mouse, and it behaves much like a compact PC, complete with resizable windows, multi-window support and up to five separate desktops for different workflows.
Samsung has not cut corners on the camera hardware. The Z TriFold features a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens. There are also two 10MP front-facing cameras, one on the cover display and another on the inner screen. This is the same camera setup found on the Z Fold 7, which I have already tested in detail.
The Galaxy Z TriFold is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This is a familiar flagship configuration, and performance remains solid despite the larger display and additional software features. In everyday use, it feels every bit as capable as Samsung’s other top-tier smartphones.
Final thoughts
The Galaxy Z TriFold is a bold step forward for foldable devices, doubling down on the idea of more screen space and more ways to use it. In daily use, it transitions smoothly between phone, tablet and PC-like roles, helped by a well-optimised One UI and built-in DeX support. The protective U-shaped hinge design and carbon-fibre build suggest Samsung has taken durability seriously, which is essential for a device with such a complex folding mechanism.
Performance is firmly in flagship territory, and the camera system remains reliable, even if it does not push beyond what the Z Fold 7 already offers. The real story here is productivity and flexibility. Multitasking across three apps, enjoying a genuinely tablet-sized display and accessing a desktop-style interface without external hardware feels like a glimpse of where mobile computing could be headed.
For those tempted to buy one, there is a catch. Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Z TriFold will not be launching in India, at least for now.
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