Review roundup: Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

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The phone world needed a shot in the arm, or maybe three. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold–a device with more creases than your favorite dive bar napkin and a form factor that leaps straight out of sci-fi and into, well, your actual pocket.

On paper, it’s a phone; in hand, it’s arguably the weirdest and most ambitious thing Samsung’s rolled out since the original Galaxy Note. Of course, not every technological flex translates to a great product.

We dug into extensive reviews and first-hand impressions from tech’s most trusted publications to weigh whether the TriFold is futuristic, foolish, or just fun. Here’s the verdict.

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An Introduction to Triple-Fold Madness

As first reported by CNET, the Galaxy Z TriFold’s defining trick is its ability to open up—twice.

It starts as a stout but relatively ordinary 6.5-inch phone, but with a flip and a flourish (okay, two hinges and some effort), it stretches out into a 10-inch, almost-square tablet.

To put it simply, you can jump from texting to spreadsheeting—or binge-watching—without pulling out a second device.

Unlike some foldables, which critics say feel delicate and crispy, CNET’s reviewer gushed that “the hinges are just as smooth to articulate, and it feels great to hold in both phone and tablet modes.”

If you’ve handled a Z Fold, you know the drill, but the TriFold makes that trick feel like a warm-up act.

It’s not a small machine, even when folded. According to The Verge, the device measures 12.9mm thick when collapsed—slightly bulkier than its closest rivals—and tips the scales at 309 grams, which means you’ll notice it in your jeans.

Still, reviewers mostly agree that Samsung did a masterful job at managing the weight, spreading it out so it feels less brick-like than you might guess.

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Design and Build: Bold (Sometimes Too Bold)

Early adopters and journalists alike have scrutinized the TriFold’s folding prowess.

For instance, on-the-ground impressions shared in a viral Reddit post confirm the cooling confidence the device inspires: “The TriFold doesn’t feel flimsy in the least; the hinges are just as smooth to articulate, and it feels great to hold.”

Samsung’s engineering team deserves genuine plaudits here—there’s no creak, wobble, or sense that you’re about to bend it the wrong way (within reason).

Unfortunately, you really don’t want to bend it the “wrong way.” As TechRadar reports, the Galaxy Z TriFold’s innovative design does create a new fragility.

There’s a correct method to closing and unfolding it, and putting pressure on the hinges in the opposite direction could spell an expensive disaster.

While Samsung touts their hinge’s improved durability, the laws of physics still apply: this will never be as rugged as an old-school, non-folding brick.

Not all the headlines are doom and gloom.

According to CNET, Samsung introduced two ingeniously different-sized hinges to handle the unique stressors of a triple-pane device, resulting in “a smoother, more stable fold despite varying weight and components across the device.”

Perhaps even more telling, reviewers consistently noted that the now infamous “crease” is less intrusive under the finger than on Huawei’s or even Samsung’s previous Fold lines, as underscored in CNET’s direct comparison.

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Specs: Big, Bright, and Hungry for Power

Display

Display is the name of the game, and Samsung delivers.

According to Gizmodo, you get a perfectly modern 6.5-inch OLED on the outside (for those moments you want to use it “like a normal person”), but the payoff is inside: a wild 10-inch, uninterrupted AMOLED with a roughly 4:3 aspect ratio.

As CNET notes, this aspect ratio makes the phone feel more like a real, portable mini-tablet than the elongated displays you get from more traditional Folds. Binge-watchers and spreadsheet junkies alike will be happy.

Performance and Battery

Feeding this beast is a custom Snapdragon 8 chip and a three-cell 5,600mAh battery with support for 45W rapid charging, as outlined by Engadget.

It’s the sort of silicon you’d expect in a top-tier gaming phone, which allows the TriFold to juggle multitasking, gaming, and heavy productivity.

That internal muscle also means battery life is “just enough” for typical use—if you’re frequently running all three displays, you’ll want a charger close by. Still, compared to the battery struggles of first-generation folds, this is a step forward.

Cameras

Photography is where the TriFold cuts corners—perhaps in a literal sense, given its obsession with thinness and hinge geometry.

As first reported by PetaPixel, “Samsung has cut some corners with the Z TriFold’s cameras,” resulting in output that’s fine for day shots but “just not what you expect on a $2,000 super-flagship.”

Night shots and low-light images are where sacrifices are most visible, and anyone hoping that Samsung’s camera magic from the S Ultra line would make its way here will be left wanting.

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Everyday Use: The Tablet In Your Pocket… For Real

The reviewers got downright giddy over the TriFold’s genre-besting multitasking. As described by The Verge: “Finally, a device that lets me watch TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all at the same time.”

While the practicality of this use case is up for debate, the fact remains: the TriFold handles three real apps, side by side by side. That means you can handle a video call, edit a document, and run your music player, all at once, all on one (chunky) device.

Video consumption is improved, too. According to CNET, “It’s better than the Fold 7 in video consumption, but not as good as Huawei’s 16:11 screen, which has less letterboxing.”

That’s a reminder: you’re still living with some black bars around your Netflix, but in return you get a proper productivity machine that handles multitasking with confidence.

There’s a quirk, though. Despite having ample “canvas,” Samsung chose not to support the S Pen—an odd omission, as many users (and Reddit reviewers) lamented. For artists and serious note-takers, this could be a dealbreaker.

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Software: One UI Finally Finds Its Foldable Groove (Mostly)

Samsung’s One UI has come a long way, and the TriFold may be its best showcase yet.

According to CNET, the multitasking experience is fluid, with clever drag-and-drop features, easy split-screening, and generally seamless transitions from phone to tablet mode.

“Even legacy Android apps adapt well, thanks to Samsung’s software bandaids,” CNET’s reviewer wrote, though they noted that some apps and games still don’t quite understand the wild form factor.

A few reviewers—particularly at Gizmodo—emphasized that, while the TriFold is worlds ahead of the early-days Fold, bugs (especially with fast animation transitions) and the occasional incompatible app are the price you pay for first-mover status.

In short: if you want boring reliability, buy a normal slab. If you want the future (warts and all), you’re in the right place.

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The Price Tag: Astronomical, Naturally

Here comes the sticker shock. The TriFold launches at $2,000—twice the price of many flagships, three times the cost of a pretty nice Android.

Gizmodo dryly noted, “That’s, last I checked, a lot of money for the vast majority of people. This is not a phone for the masses.”

Is it overkill for all but the most hardcore power users? In every sense of the word, yes. Is there a market for the “do-everything, folding-every-direction” phone? Samsung’s betting on it.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: The folding mechanism is, in the words of CNET, “fluid and confidence-inspiring”—the best in its class. Tablet mode feels genuinely useful, not just a gimmick; the build quality, finish, and attention to detail are high, and the hinge creases are the least intrusive yet.

Weaknesses: As flagged by PetaPixel, the cameras lag far behind the $2,000 competition. TechRadar reports that the TriFold, while improved, is still more fragile than even the toughest regular slabs. The lack of S Pen support stings, and—make no mistake—the astronomical price will scare most buyers away.

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Who Should Buy the Z TriFold?

If you’re reading this and your credit card is still out… you might be the target market. This phone isn’t for everyone—Samsung itself doesn’t pretend otherwise.

This is a device for early adopters, gadget nerds, and people willing to tolerate first-gen quirks in exchange for a front-row seat to the future.

If you want bulletproof reliability or all-day battery for epic gaming sessions, wait for the next generation (or the one after that).

But if you’ve always wanted your phone to be a mini-tablet, your tablet to fit in your pocket, and your “what’s that?” factor on the subway to spike? The TriFold delivers—sometimes awkwardly, sometimes brilliantly, but always with personality.

Galaxy Z TriFold is on sale now only in a handful of markets, and the U.S. won’t get it until early 2026. Buyers in the U.S. can put their info on a waitlist here.