Earlier this year, we conducted a poll on the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, the first commercially available tri-fold smartphone. The main insights were: 1) 26.4% of respondents wanted a tri-foldable phone but at a lower price, 2) 22.1% expressed interest in owning the Mate XT Ultimate specifically, and 3) 16.7% preferred a tri-fold device from a brand other than Huawei. Samsung's recently announced Galaxy Z TriFold may address the first and third points.
While details are still limited, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is expected to launch next week. Currently, only the South Korean price is available, which is about 40% higher than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (512GB model). This suggests that its international price may come in below Huawei’s €3,500 asking price for the Mate XT Ultimate (1TB model).
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
The Galaxy Z TriFold features an intriguing design: essentially a Z Fold7 with an additional folding layer. When closed, it measures 12.9mm thick and weighs a substantial 309 grams. The external cover display remains the same 6.5-inch panel, but the main attraction is inside.
When unfolded, the phone transforms into a 10.0-inch tablet with a 15:11 aspect ratio. This wider format offers clear advantages for media consumption and gaming. Moreover, the folding mechanism is thoughtfully engineered.
Samsung has positioned the hinge on the outside edge, protecting the main folding display inside the device. This contrasts with the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, which leaves one-third of its display exposed when folded. Opting out of a cover screen saves only minimal thickness (12.8mm folded) and weight (298g) compared to the TriFold.
The Galaxy Z TriFold also boasts the largest battery among Samsung flagships at 5,600mAh—almost 30% larger than the Z Fold7’s 4,400mAh cell. It supports faster 45W wired charging, though this is still not considered particularly fast compared to Huawei’s 66W charging on the Mate XT Ultimate.
Aside from the screen and battery, the tri-fold shares much with the Z Fold7: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-based Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (not the Gen 5), the triple-camera setup (200MP main, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultra-wide), and the punch-hole selfie camera inside.
This form factor remains quite new, with only Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate and Mate XTs Ultimate as competitors. It is worth noting that Huawei devices run HarmonyOS rather than Android.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate • Huawei Mate XTs Ultimate
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold? Could this be the foldable form factor that defines the future of smartphones—or even your next device? Is the price justified, or is it simply a novelty?
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate
- 1TB 16GB RAM
$4,672.43
