SAMSUNG

Galaxy Z Trifold: first impressions of Samsung's exaggerated and experimental phone

Over more than a decade of development in flexible screens and structural engineering, the Korean giant has accumulated enough knowledge to attempt something more ambitious. The Galaxy Z TriFold emerges precisely as the boldest point in this trajectory. It represents not only a specific evolution over current foldables, but a level change. If folding a screen once already required years of refinement, folding it twice exponentially increases the technical, usability, and reliability challenges.

There is also a strategic reason behind this insistence. The logic of foldables is not just aesthetics or "innovation for innovation's sake." It responds to an old quest in the mobile industry: to expand the screen area without making the device impossible to carry and use. In a scenario where more and more people work, study, and consume content on their cell phones, larger screens make sense. The problem has always been how to deliver this without sacrificing portability. The TriFold attempts to answer exactly this question.

With the new triple foldable phone, Samsung has literally decided to double down — or, in this case, triple down. The goal is to create a device that can assume multiple formats throughout the day, adapting to the user's different needs.

When closed, it functions like a traditional premium smartphone. When fully unfolded, it reveals a 10-inch screen, approaching the experience of a compact tablet, focusing on productivity, multitasking, and large-screen media consumption.

Foldable smartphones have gone from being a distant promise or a mere engineering exercise to becoming a legitimate category within the premium market. Still restricted to a specific audience, these devices have undergone a long maturation process to gain real space in users' daily lives. For years, they were seen as fragile, overly expensive, or impractical products for everyday use.

This distrust did not arise by chance. The first generations presented clear limitations in durability, ergonomics, and software integration, which made it difficult to justify the high investment required for these devices. For many people, foldable devices seemed more like a technological showcase than a practical solution to real-world problems.

The persistence of some manufacturers, especially Samsung, was crucial in changing this scenario. Since the first Galaxy Fold, the company has taken considerable risks by betting on a still immature format. The initial problems made it clear that folding a screen involved much more than simply making it flexible. It was necessary to rethink the entire architecture of the device, from hinges and materials to how the operating system behaved in multiple formats.

There were severe criticisms, design revisions, delays, and, at times, direct distrust from the consumer market. Even so, each generation brought important lessons. Samsung refined folding mechanisms, reduced thickness and weight, increased the resistance of materials, and, most importantly, invested in adapting the software. Android, which was not originally designed for flexible screens, began to receive specific optimizations, while the One UI interface was gradually shaped to better handle multitasking, dynamic resizing, and continuity of use.

It's worth noting that the Korean company is trying to distance itself from competitors who have already bet on this format before.

Instead of adopting an "accordion-style" design, which allows for greater flexibility in opening, the TriFold requires the internal screens to be fully unfolded, with flaps that fold inward. This is evident from the warnings displayed when trying to close the folds incorrectly, something that requires adaptation on the part of the user.

During the hands-on, this behavior became clear. The TriFold doesn't give the same "open and close any old way" feeling that some users already associate with traditional foldables. There is a correct order of use, designed to protect the internal screen. In practice, this changes the user's relationship with the device. It's a feature that doesn't appear in the technical specifications, but directly influences the daily experience.

The TriFold is visibly thicker and heavier than a Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example, but it still remains usable on a daily basis. The approximate weight of 309 grams is noticeable, especially in a pocket or when holding the device with just one hand, but it is consistent with the hardware, screens, and internal structure that the device offers.

Another important point is how this weight is distributed. In closed mode, the center of gravity is more concentrated, which can be tiring during prolonged use with one hand. In open mode, the weight tends to "dilute" across the larger screen area, making it more comfortable to use. This helps explain why the TriFold works best when alternating between quick closed use sessions and longer open sessions.

The 6.5-inch external screen plays a central role in the initial experience with the device. It uses Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, with a 21:9 aspect ratio, adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, and a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits. In practice, this translates to excellent visibility in outdoor environments, well-calibrated colors, high contrast, and fluid navigation. During the hands-on, we had quick access to the device's basic functions, although more in-depth testing is needed to attest to its real effectiveness.

One of the main problems with the first generations of foldables was the constant reliance on the internal screen for simple tasks. Here, the external screen is complete, functional, and comfortable, drastically reducing the need to open the device constantly. The user only resorts to the larger format when they really need more space, making its use more natural and less forced.

Upon opening the Galaxy Z TriFold, the design reveals its complexity. The device uses two internal hinges, creating three distinct panels. The opening happens progressively, in stages, and conveys a clear sense of mechanical precision. During TudoCelular's hands-on, no strange noises, creaks, or looseness were perceived. The movement of the hinges is firm, controlled, and provides security, something fundamental in a device that directly depends on structural integrity to justify its shape.

When fully open, the Galaxy Z TriFold reveals its main feature: the 10-inch internal screen. It is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with QXGA+ resolution, adaptive refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz, and a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits. It's a large, sharp, and fluid screen, designed for both productivity and entertainment, maintaining the expected visual standard of a Samsung Ultra line product.

From an engineering standpoint, the Galaxy Z TriFold represents the pinnacle of Samsung's foldable technology to date. The Armor FlexHinge hinge assembly has been redesigned specifically to meet the demands of the triple form factor. There are two hinges of different sizes, with a double rail structure, that work together to ensure a smooth, stable fold with balanced weight distribution across the three panels.

Despite its structural complexity, the TriFold impresses with its thickness when open. At its thinnest point, it reaches only 3.9 millimeters. To achieve this result, Samsung used advanced materials, such as titanium in the hinge structure, Advanced Armor Aluminum in the chassis, and a glass fiber reinforced polymer and ceramic back panel. During the hands-on, the feeling was of a solid, well-built device that lives up to its premium proposition.

The internal screen also received special attention. An additional shock-absorbing layer has been incorporated to better handle the double fold. The creases are still present and noticeable, especially under certain lighting angles, but this has become a characteristic of current foldable devices and represents an ongoing challenge for the entire industry.

In terms of performance, the TriFold follows the standard of a current top-of-the-line device. It comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, manufactured using a 3-nanometer process, accompanied by 16 GB of RAM. Internal storage options are 512 GB or 1 TB, with no microSD card support. During the hands-on, performance proved consistent even under intense multitasking and constant switching between different screen modes.

The battery is another important point. The Galaxy Z TriFold uses a three-cell system distributed across the device's three panels, totaling 5,600 mAh. This configuration helps balance energy consumption and contributes to more stable battery life throughout the day. According to the manufacturer, 45W fast charging allows for approximately 50% charge recovery in about 30 minutes, in addition to offering wireless charging and power sharing.

Regarding the camera setup, Samsung focuses on versatility. The 200-megapixel main sensor is accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses, with up to 3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom. There are also front cameras on both the external and main screens, designed for video calls, selfies, and use in different device formats. The goal here is clear: to avoid the TriFold being seen as a foldable phone that sacrifices photography. 

by mundophone