Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Review: A Foldable Powerhouse

Professionals

• Beneficiant 6.5-inch cowl display
• Lengthy-lasting battery
• Multitasking is seamless
• Glorious digital camera

Cons

• Prohibitive $2,900 value
• Typing on essential show is tough
• Not all apps work effectively with 10-inch show
• Telephone feels clunky when closed

The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is a spectacle. With a show cut up into three sections that fold and unfold like a pamphlet, it is a telephone that basically doubles as a pill when open. The TriFold is the results of Samsung’s yearslong effort to make its foldable telephones sleeker and extra compact — and, finally, extra sensible. 

As one pal aptly put it once I first confirmed her the TriFold: “So that you’re simply strolling round with an iPad in your pocket?” Extra like a Galaxy Tab, however sure, that is the thought.

With such a novel design and a prohibitive $2,900 price ticket ($3,164 after taxes and charges), who’s the TriFold actually for? I spent two weeks utilizing Samsung’s two-in-one system to see the way it carried out and to higher perceive its audience. If one factor is obvious from this telephone’s restricted availability and sky-high price, it is not precisely a mass-market product.

Samsung spent a great deal of 2025 touting its cellular design improvements, from the tremendous slim Galaxy S25 Edge to the ultrasleek Galaxy Z Fold 7. It capped off the yr with the debut of the Galaxy Z TriFold, which launched in December in some components of the world and arrived within the US in late January. For years, foldable telephones have been clunky and quite impractical, with slender cowl shows and subpar cameras. They’ve come a good distance, and customers not need to sacrifice practicality for novelty. (They nonetheless need to sacrifice sum of money, although.)

The TriFold feels just like the fruits of Samsung’s technological developments. Nonetheless, it is a very area of interest system and is a reminder that extra is not all the time higher, a minimum of not for everybody.

How the Galaxy Z TriFold feels in my hand

It is protected to say I’ve by no means used a telephone that feels just like the Galaxy Z TriFold, open or closed. Although the telephone borrows many attributes from its Galaxy Z Fold 7 sibling, it is in a league of its personal — except for Huawei’s Mate XT Final, a trifold bought outdoors the US. 

The TriFold opens as much as a 10-inch show that is sectioned into three skinny panels, every measuring 3.9mm, 4mm and 4.2mm on the thickest level (not accounting for the digital camera bump).

When the telephone is open, it feels glossy and comparatively light-weight for what it is packing, clocking in at 309 grams. I can maintain it with one hand or two, although two feels extra snug. 

Nevertheless, when the telephone is unfolded, I are inclined to by chance faucet the house or again button with my palm or fingers as I maintain it up, for the reason that bezels are so skinny. The jury continues to be out on whether or not I am only a klutz, however I believe a part of it’s simply getting used to recent {hardware} design — and Samsung doubtlessly tweaking the position of sure controls in future iterations. 

When the TriFold is shut, its sleekness all however disappears. With three panels stacked collectively, the telephone feels quite dense and measures a barely clunky 12.9mm thick. It is not prohibitively cumbersome, however the noticeable heft positively units it other than bar-style telephones; for example, the Galaxy S25 is simply 7.2mm thick. It additionally distinguishes it from the Z Fold 7, which measures simply 8.9mm thick when closed. However that additional panel on the TriFold has to go someplace. 

Nonetheless, the TriFold’s 6.5-inch cowl display serves up sufficient actual property to comfortably do something you’d do on a normal telephone, like ship texts, scroll via Instagram or verify an e mail.

The TriFold’s digital camera bump is about as pronounced as you’d anticipate on any premium telephone right this moment. The three rear lenses sit on a raised platform, as they do on the Z Fold 7, and my index finger usually brushes up in opposition to it, given the vertical structure. It is not an enormous deal, however I do want that weren’t the case.

As satisfying as it’s to snap a book-style foldable shut, feeling that sensation twice with the TriFold is pleasant. After I first received my palms on this telephone, I used to be grateful for the on-screen and haptic alerts warning me to shut the left-side panel first. (Being right-handed, this was a slight studying curve.) However I received the grasp of it surprisingly rapidly. It is good that the part with the ability and quantity buttons protrudes barely to the precise, making it simple to entry these controls when the telephone is absolutely folded. 

The Galaxy Z TriFold comes with a case that snaps onto the again panel and covers one of many hinges. It is a neat perk to have that possibility, however I did not need something coming between me and my slick new telephone, so I did not use it.

The TriFold doesn’t have S Pen assist. Whereas which will really feel like a missed alternative, I do not assume it detracts from the system’s practicality. Simply faucet away together with your fingers (or a linked keyboard), and you will be good.

Every show has its goal

The drastically totally different sizes of the duvet and essential shows means every serves a super goal. Just like my expertise with book-style foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I tended to make use of the TriFold’s 6.5-inch cowl show the vast majority of the time. 

For many duties, like taking pictures, scrolling via social media and messaging (the majority of what I do on a telephone), the smaller show and configuration is good. It is simpler to carry the TriFold in that structure, and typing is far, a lot simpler than on the expansive essential show.

At occasions, I even opted for watching a YouTube video in panorama mode on the duvet display — regardless of a way more spacious show mendacity simply two unfolds away — as a result of it nonetheless did the trick, and the telephone was simpler to deal with when transferring round.

Like different foldables, the TriFold’s app continuity operate means no matter you are doing on the duvet display is seamlessly carried over to the principle show if you open the telephone. That is very best when watching movies: For those who determine you wish to transfer to the within display, the content material retains rolling and the audio would not cease as you unfurl the telephone.  

I used the 10-inch essential show a couple of third of the time and primarily when watching movies or multitasking. Like with Samsung’s book-style foldable, you may run as much as three apps concurrently, however the TriFold’s roomier show lets every app really feel much less crammed than on the Z Fold 7.

I even tried engaged on the TriFold whereas multitasking. I used to be in a position to have Google Docs, Slack and CNET’s content material administration system open unexpectedly. It was tight, but it surely labored.

To actually faucet into the telephone’s spacious show, you should utilize Samsung DeX, which basically turns any app on the TriFold right into a window you may drag round and resize nevertheless you want (a lot as you’ll on a pc interface). I examined this whereas scripting this assessment; in actual fact, this complete part is coming to you by way of DeX, after pairing the telephone to a wi-fi mouse and keyboard.

It is all fairly seamless and appears like engaged on a mini monitor. Previous habits die onerous, although, and I sit up for going again to my 16-inch laptop computer with a bigger display and connected keyboard.

The TriFold was my trusty leisure companion once I caught strep throat midway via reviewing this telephone. I watched countless Pixar films and YouTube movies once I was caught in mattress. The Z Fold 7’s 8-inch show is nice for this too, however the TriFold’s notably bigger display takes the expertise to the subsequent stage. It did not even really feel like I used to be watching on a telephone anymore; it felt like I might switched to a pill. 

And now, the query you have possible been ready for me to reply: How apparent are the 2 creases on the principle show?

Effectively, you may nonetheless see them, however they nearly disappear if you’re truly utilizing the telephone or watching one thing. The creases are additionally extra subdued than on the Z Fold 7, so it is possible Samsung is slowly working its method towards eliminating them altogether. However we’re not there but. 

I chorus from utilizing the principle show for social media scrolling as a result of many apps aren’t well-suited for that horizontal format. Some Instagram posts look grainy when stretched on the 10-inch show, and Reels are weirdly cropped in my feed till I click on into them.

Different apps, like X and DoorDash, do not fill the display, however quite sit sq. within the center, bordered by thick clean bars. I can faucet arrows to shift the on-screen content material to the left or proper for simpler scrolling, although. 

Galaxy Z TriFold battery life and efficiency

One factor that impressed me most concerning the Galaxy Z TriFold is how effectively the 5,600-mAh battery held up. The three-cell battery is cut up between the panels to increase how lengthy every cost lasts. I might stream, surf the online and snap pictures as a lot as I needed with out worrying about being stranded with a useless telephone, even whereas holding the All the time-on show enabled. 

Throughout a number of days of testing, the TriFold lasted me almost a day and a half earlier than needing to recharge. For example, at some point I started with a full battery at 7 a.m., and the telephone lasted till 2:30 p.m. the subsequent afternoon. On one other day, I went from 100% battery at 9:20 a.m. on a Saturday to 0% at 6:33 p.m. on Sunday night. In every occasion, I did a great deal of streaming, texting, ordering meals supply, scrolling via Instagram and X, and happening YouTube rabbit holes, usually switching between the duvet and essential shows. 

Talking of charging, the TriFold helps 45-watt super-fast charging. That is good for Samsung, however merely OK when in comparison with the a lot sooner charging you may get with a number of different telephones just like the OnePlus 15 (as much as 100 watts) and Motorola’s 2025 Moto G Stylus (68 watts). However 45 watts will get the TriFold from 0% to 61% in half an hour, so I can not complain. The telephone reaches a full cost in about an hour and quarter-hour. 

This was quite stunning, however you will get each a charging cable and a charging brick within the Z TriFold field. Wild, proper? With most telephone makers as of late opting to not embrace extras with their gadgets, I am glad Samsung selected to a minimum of toss in a charging brick with the TriFold, given its astronomical value.

In CNET’s 45-minute endurance take a look at, which includes streaming, scrolling via social media, becoming a member of a video name and enjoying video games on the inner show, the Galaxy Z TriFold’s battery went from full to 92%. That is decrease than the 96% I received with Google’s Pixel 10 Professional Fold and the 95% on the Oppo Discover N5. But it surely’s solely barely lower than the 93% I received with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is fairly spectacular given there’s a complete different panel to energy on the TriFold.

In an extended, 3-hour streaming take a look at over Wi-Fi, I watched a YouTube video in full-screen mode at full brightness on the interior show. The TriFold’s battery dropped from 100% to 76%.

That is not too far off the 78% I received with the Pixel 10 Professional Fold. However each are handily overwhelmed by the 84% I received with the Z Fold 7 and the 89% on the Oppo Discover N5.

The TriFold is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which powers the numerous Galaxy AI and Gemini options on board, like Generative Edit for pictures, Dwell Translate and Circle to Search.

The telephone runs Android 16 and Samsung’s One UI 8 out of the field, and it helps seven years of software program and safety updates — which is the least I might anticipate from a telephone that prices greater than the typical laptop computer.

It has the identical chip that powers final yr’s Galaxy S25 telephones — so, not fairly the most recent and best Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor launched within the fall, but it surely’s nonetheless highly effective silicon.

Benchmark checks for the CPU in Geekbench 6 place the Z TriFold above the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL, the Motorola Razr Extremely and the Galaxy S25 Edge, and it is on par with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. 

In a graphics take a look at utilizing 3DMark’s Wild Life Excessive, the TriFold exceeded the efficiency of the S25 Edge, the iPhone 17 Professional Max and the Pixel 10 Professional XL, but it surely was overwhelmed out by the Z Fold 7.

Try the graphs beneath for extra specifics.

The Galaxy Z TriFold’s digital camera takes gorgeous pictures

The Galaxy Z TriFold’s top-notch cameras are additional proof of how far foldables have come. Just like the Z Fold 7, the TriFold has a 200-megapixel extensive, 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto digital camera on the again, in addition to a 10-megapixel selfie digital camera on each the duvet and inside shows. 

I actually loved snapping pictures on this telephone and was usually blown away by what it captured. Listed here are a number of of my favourite pictures:

The TriFold would not compromise on digital camera high quality. The pictures are corresponding to what you’d seize on the flagship Galaxy S sequence. And at almost $3,000, I might positive hope so.

Galaxy Z TriFold ultimate ideas

After utilizing the Galaxy Z TriFold for a few weeks, it grew to become clear that this telephone is for a really particular subset of individuals. And I am undecided that features me.

I’ve loved the novelty and flexibility of the TriFold: It could possibly simply double as a workstation or pill for watching films or multitasking. Nonetheless, it provides greater than I might realistically want from a telephone. 

My traditional duties embrace scrolling via social media, texting and taking pictures — all issues you do not want a 10-inch show for. And even once I wish to watch a video on a bigger show, I am comfortable to accept the 8-inch display on the Z Fold 7, particularly since that telephone extra intently matches the thickness of a normal, nonfolding telephone when it is closed. The TriFold’s beefier construct when closed is a little bit of a downside for me.

However I believe loads of folks will really feel just like the TriFold is the right match for his or her life. Enterprise-oriented energy customers particularly would possibly admire that this telephone basically serves as a mini laptop computer you may simply fold up and toss in your pocket. Anybody who needs they might mix their telephone and pill into one gadget will discover that the TriFold does the trick. Plus, watching films and YouTube movies actually is an excellent expertise on this telephone, particularly for those who’re all the time on the go.

What’s tougher to abdomen is the TriFold’s astronomical $3,000 value, which is able to maintain it out of the palms of all however the savviest tech followers and people with the deepest pockets.

Nonetheless, this telephone embodies what foldable telephones have lengthy strived to be: versatile, modern and sensible. And truthfully, it is only a pleasure to make use of.