I think the Galaxy Z TriFold is a wonderful laptop – you can kiss your tablet goodbye, too

The Galaxy Z TriFold: humanity has outdone itself on this one. We are not yet fully sold on the idea of "traditional" foldables (phones that unfold just once, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7) and tri-foldables are already here.

This phone is a tank, but in a good way. The Galaxy Z TriFold was unveiled yesterday, but I still can't get out of my mind the fact that it comes with a built-in alarm system.

See, the folding mechanism that vibrates and flashes a warning if you try to close it the wrong way. That's pure dedication to preventing screen damage, especially when you compare it to the Huawei tri-fold, which leaves one of its main panels exposed on the outside.



A 10-inch inner display, five cameras including a 200MP main sensor, 16 GB of RAM, and a revolutionary form factor that folds inward. This isn't a typical foldable phone – it's almost a pocketable tablet, if you're okay carrying the 309 grams it weighs.

But who is this phone for?

Media junkies and gamers

For the person who spends their subway ride, the TriFold is basically a portable cinematic screen. You unfold it and you've got a 10-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel. Whoa!

Crucially, that massive screen, with its 2160 x 1584 resolution, is far more suitable for watching video than the squarer displays found in normal foldables. "Traditional" foldables leave thick black bars above and below a movie, wasting precious screen space. Here, the display size and shape feel designed for cinema, offering a truly immersive picture.

Games look incredible on that canvas, too. Plus, the battery is huge – a 5,600 mAh three-cell system – which is actually bigger than what you'd find in the flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example. That extra juice means you can enjoy a movie (or a game) for an extended session without nervously checking the battery percentage. That screen size is normally reserved for devices you can't fit in a pocket, making this a game-changer for on-the-go entertainment.

People who make money

Let's talk business: this is where the TriFold really shines.

The professional who needs a portable office is the primary target here. The 10-inch screen gives you the screen real estate of three regular-sized phones lined up, which means genuine, non-cramped multitasking. Checking your email inbox on the left, you could have a work app in the middle and, say, a client proposal document on the third.

The real kicker, of course, is the standalone DeX feature. Previously, Samsung's DeX (which turns the phone into a desktop-like experience) needed an external monitor. With the TriFold, you can run a full desktop workspace, complete with multiple virtual screens and up to five apps running in each, right on the unfolded device.

All you need is a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you genuinely have a mini-PC you can pull out at any coffee shop or construction site.

I'd give photo editing a try

For me, the most compelling personal use case revolves around the camera system and the editing experience. I don't need to point out why, but I'll do it: that's a 10-inch canvas to edit on – a total luxury!

You can zoom in on the main display and actually see the granular details for fine-tuning contrast or touching up a portrait, something that's always frustratingly difficult on a standard, non-folding phone.

In fact, I'll say that editing on candy bar phones is a frustrating mobile chore. So, the closer to the smooth desktop workflow, the better.

Who are you, really?

To answer the question that we started with – who this cosmic phone is for – one must ask himself or herself the following:



Are you a genuine power user – a developer, a designer, a consultant, or anyone who is frequently on the go? The Galaxy Z TriFold's ability to serve as a pocketable, standalone desktop workstation, coupled with the largest display Samsung has ever shipped, might suit you.

But if all you need is a phone to check Twitter and take the odd photo, this is definitely an expensive toy you should skip. Unless… you're filthy rich, and you just want to strike a pose in front of your friends on minimum wage – in that case, I totally recommend the Galaxy Z TriFold. It should do the job.

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