Earlier this year, we conducted a poll on the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, the first commercially available tri-fold smartphone. The results revealed that 26.4% of respondents wanted a tri-fold phone but at a lower price, 22.1% wanted the Mate XT Ultimate itself, and 16.7% preferred a tri-fold model from a brand other than Huawei. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z TriFold may address these demands.
The Galaxy Z TriFold will launch next week, and while we only have pricing information from South Korea so far, its price is approximately 40% higher than the equivalent Samsung Z Fold7 with 512GB storage. Globally, this suggests the TriFold’s price may be below the premium €3,500 charged for Huawei’s 1TB Mate XT Ultimate.
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
The Z TriFold features an innovative design: essentially a Z Fold7 with an additional fold. This results in a closed thickness of 12.9mm and a substantial weight of 309g. The cover display remains a 6.5-inch panel, but the main attraction is the expansive internal screen.
When unfolded, the device offers a tablet-sized 10.0-inch display with a 15:11 aspect ratio. This wider screen benefits activities such as video viewing and gaming. Samsung has also engineered the fold to protect the delicate display by placing the hinge on the phone’s exterior and keeping the display panels inside, contrasting with Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate, which leaves one-third of its display exposed when folded. This design choice results in minimal differences in thickness (12.8mm folded) and weight (298g) compared to Huawei’s offering.
The Galaxy Z TriFold is powered by the largest battery found in any Samsung flagship to date: a 5,600mAh cell, nearly one-third larger than the Z Fold7’s 4,400mAh battery. It supports 45W charging, which is faster than the Fold7’s 25W, though not exceptionally fast compared to Huawei’s 66W charging found on the Mate XT Ultimate with the same battery capacity.
Under the hood, the TriFold closely mirrors the Z Fold7. It sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Elite chipset (not Gen 5), a triple rear camera setup (200MP + 10MP + 12MP), and a punch-hole selfie camera.
Since tri-fold smartphones remain a relatively new category, the main competitors are Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate and the updated Mate XTs Ultimate, which feature a newer chipset and enhanced 40MP ultra-wide camera but run HarmonyOS instead of Android.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate & Mate XTs Ultimate
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold? Could this be the future of smartphone form factors or even your next device? Do you find the price justified, or do you consider tri-fold designs a gimmick?
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate
- 1TB, 16GB RAM
$4,672.43
