Samsung's first Galaxy Z TriFold, but it doesn't seem like a 1st-Gen product

Foldable smartphones are where most innovations are happening these days. As foldables are getting thinner and thinner, my interest on them is getting stronger. From Samsung's first foldable smartphone to the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7, the improvements are mind-blowing. The thickness of Fold 7 is 8.9 mm, which is just like a normal smartphone. So now the fact that Samsung refined its foldable tech, they are releasing their first TriFold device. Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is the next step towards foldable devices where we will see more innovations later. In this article, I will do a deep dive on what the Galaxy Z TriFold has got to offer and how it compares with other innovative foldable devices.

The new Samsung Galaxy TriFold looks crazy thin when it is unfolded. When the TriFold is folded open, it's between 3.9 mm to 4.2 mm thin - that looks remarkably thin. However, the story is quite different now when the Galaxy Z TriFold is folded close. The maximum thickness is 12.9 mm when folded, which is a bit more than regular smartphones. Regular smartphones are around 8.0 mm thin and have around 200 grams of weight. The Galaxy TriFold has a weight of 310 grams. This makes the Galaxy Z TriFold much heavier and thicker than a regular smartphone.

This is a TriFold we are talking about that looks like 3 smartphones stacked on top of each other. However, when unfolded it looks like a thin tablet. So even though it's way thicker than a regular smartphone, I think most people will appreciate the thick Galaxy TriFold when they see it unfolds to a crazy thin tablet. Samsung is calling it a multi-folding smartphone. So with this Galaxy Z TriFold, you can use it as a super-thick smartphone or as a super-thin tablet - I like the choice and flexibility.

Samsung is of course innovating, but in terms of design Huawei was ahead of Samsung with their Mate XT trifolding smartphone. We can compare both as they are similar kind of multi-folding devices. However, both took different approaches in terms of how the device folds. The Galaxy Z TriFold unfolds like a U-shape vs the Huawei Mate XT unfolds like a Z-shape. So there is a huge difference there, which allow them to have different kinds of advantages and disadvantages.

The Mate XT is even thinner at 3.6 mm but overall both have similar thickness. Their different approaches unlock wide range of use-case scenarios. So if we are talking about how you can use the device, the Galaxy TriFold can be used either like a smartphone or like a completely unfolded tablet. However, the Huawei Mate XT offers an additional bi-fold stage that you can take advantage of. This bi-fold stage provides a similar experience to the regular folding smartphones, like a semi-tablet Galaxy Z Fold type of experience.

In terms of advantage and disadvantage, with Galaxy TriFold there is an additional cover screen vs the Mate XT only has its main foldable screen. Also, when folded close, the Galaxy TriFold doesn't have any parts of that soft foldable screen exposed vs the Huawei Mate XT has parts of the folding screen exposed. So both have different strength and weakness. Overall, I think the Samsung Galaxy TriFold is more durable, reliable and also has an additional cover-screen.

To explain this we need to visit the first Galaxy Fold that did feel like a 1st-Gen product. When the first Samsung Galaxy Fold came out, it was 15.5 mm thick. At that time smartphones were already pretty thin like only around 8.0 mm, which left the Galaxy Fold be desired of more innovation. Now with the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7, at 8.9 mm thickness the gap has been closed. So the Fold 7 is as thin as 4.2 mm when unfolded and the new Galaxy TriFold is using those advancements that the latest Galaxy Fold 7 has. In terms of refinements and innovations, the hinge engineering has been improved massively over the years for the folding phones.

Initially with the 1st-Gen Galaxy foldable phone, the hinge was massive with a huge gap in-between the foldable screen. Back then neither the foldable screen technology nor the hinge engineering was refined enough. However, now after 5 to 7 years, the hinges are smaller, thinner and stronger than before. So in 2025, even though it's Samsung's first TriFold device, the 2025 Galaxy Z TriFold gets those super-advanced hinges and foldable screens. For these reasons the Galaxy TriFold doesn't feel like a 1st-Gen product - it feels ready.

Check out those articles from above, you can click on those linked images to read the articles. A while ago I published a review of the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G smartphone, check that out if you are into budget phones. In case you are interested in portable speakers, I compared 3 Boombox type speakers from 3 different brands such as Soundcore, Tribit and JBL. So don't forget to also check out that detailed comparison article about the JBL Boombox 3 vs Tribit Stormbox Blast vs Soundcore Boom 2 Plus.

Samsung did put a lot of thoughts on the user experience of the Galaxy TriFold's software. It was already good with their regular bi-fold phones like the Fold 7. Now that we have a TriFold from Samsung, the multitasking has been transformed to a whole new level. So there are small optimizations like taking selfie using the back cameras and letting the person in front of you see the camera-feed by utilizing the cover-screen. In terms of multitasking, the Galaxy Z TriFold offers a superior experience thinking about the productive users.

You can open multiple windows using the bottom dock. The layouts can be rearranged in a bunch of different forms. Main horizontal, vertical + split horizontal, vertical are just some of the combinations. You can have 3 different vertical apps open at the same time. One can be main vertical with full height and other two can be horizontal split. You can also switch between layouts and replace apps pretty easily and quickly. Also, 3 apps can be saved as a trio where the last used layout stay saved - this is very good user experience. You can also see the apps' layout in the trio-preview. The experience is very smooth too. If you want specs, check the official Galaxy Z TriFold page.

Also, please check out the JBL Charge 6 vs Charge 5 story for highlights.
IF you're interested in mid-sized portable speakers, check my JBL Charge 6 vs Bose SoundLink Plus article. The JBL Charge 6 did better in the head-to-head comparison.