Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold: The three-in-one ‘phablet’

In terms of releases, Samsung had a good year. The company has released an incredibly thin Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy Z Flip 7 with a full 4.1-inch protective screen (similar to the Motorola Razr) and surprisingly thin Galaxy Folding 7, finally, with a protective screen with the aspect ratio of a regular smartphone. However, Samsung's best release of the year won't be coming to Canada.

I had the opportunity to try out the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold in a short hands-on session and was very impressed. To be honest, I went into the hands-on session pretty weary as this phone isn't coming to Canada and it seemed pretty gimmicky, but I was wrong. The Z TriFold literally brings back the term “Phablet” with a phone that can legitimately transform into a 10-inch full-size tablet.

Folding this phone into thirds

When folded, the Galaxy Z TriFold features a 6.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. It's the exact same screen as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with an aspect ratio like a regular phone. It's definitely a lot thicker than other phones on the market at 12.9mm wide, but if you're upgrading from something like the Z Fold 5 or any other foldable device before then this shouldn't be an issue.

Then, when you unfold the device, the triple folding display reveals a 10-inch 120Hz screen with a resolution of 1584 x 2160 pixels. When unfolded, the TriFold has different widths, with the leftmost part of the screen measuring around 3.9mm and the right side measuring 4.2mm. I didn't notice this when I held the phone in my hands, as if one part of the screen didn't seem thicker than the other. I'm guessing this is because 0.3mm is pretty minuscule.

Galaxy TriFold folds like a brochure or a book. In this case, the protective screen will face outward and backward. Samsung isn't worried about users damaging this screen because it's similar to when you unfold the Z Fold 7. Even though the screen protector is on the outside, I like the way this phone folds much better than Huawei Mate XTThe only triple foldable smartphone on the market that folds like an accordion. For TriFold, you need to fold the left side of the screen first and then the right. If you do it wrong, the phone won't break, but instead a notification will appear telling you that you're folding incorrectly.

The phone feels well-built, with a durable titanium hinge body and ceramic-glass fiber reinforced polymer back, along with an aluminum frame, a Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 2 screen, and a plastic screen similar to the Fold 7. When Samsung first introduced the original Galaxy Fold, people had a lot of issues with the durability and how the screen was incredibly easy to break; however, the company learned a lot from its mistakes. Seriously, the TriFold was just as durable as the Z Fold 7 despite having the extra section. And I love the look and feel of fiber reinforced polymer.

Wireless DeX

The TriFold form factor makes a lot of sense, even more so than a regular foldable, because you essentially fit a regular 10-inch tablet into your pocket comfortably. Additionally, the South Korean tech giant has made a smart move by allowing Samsung DeX to work when the phablet is deployed. Samsung DeX is a feature of Samsung Galaxy products that typically allows these devices to connect to a monitor to get a desktop-like interface, allowing you to multitask with apps on Windows using a keyboard and mouse, and also allowing you to run mobile apps as if they were Android-themed Windows apps. Essentially turning your Galaxy device into a portable workstation.

Now, when using TriFold, whenever you open any app, you can easily drag it from top to bottom and the tablet will enter DeX mode and open the PC-like version of your device. Imagine you're traveling and instead of carrying a laptop, smartphone, tablet, you only need to take your phone and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or just a Bluetooth keyboard with a touchpad). Ideal for minimalists and lovers of lightweight packaging. If you want to use your phone, use TriFold; if you want to use a tablet, expand TriFold; and if you need a laptop, take out your Bluetooth keyboard and switch to DeX mode. While a “regular” foldable tablet can easily turn into an 8-inch tablet, the TriFold is a three-in-one device.

Some worries

And although it's a three-in-one phone, you're making fewer sacrifices than you'd expect. The TriFold still has 16GB of RAM, 512GB to 1TB of storage, a Snapdragon 8 Elite, and the 200MP main camera available on the Z Fold 7. It may not be the best version of a phone or laptop, although it's definitely a good choice for a tablet, but I can see that for those who commute or travel a lot, a three-in-one might be worth the sacrifice for the not-so-great cameras for laptop or smartphone.

However, there are some things I would worry about. For starters, the Galaxy TriFold only has a 5,600mAh battery, which may be the largest cell in a Samsung smartphone. This battery may be a little small for a phone with two screens, one of which has a 10-inch display. You'll likely need to bring a charger with you, especially if you're using a large screen for media or gaming.

Secondly, the Galaxy TriFold will be very expensive. The phone costs 3,590,400 won, which is about 3,402 Canadian dollars, which will be quite an expensive device, more than any other smartphone in Canada. If you do use this to replace your phone, tablet, and laptop, you might find value in it. However, you're still limited to Samsung DeX, so if you want the Adobe Suite of apps, you'll still need a laptop, unfortunately.

The Samsung Galaxy TriFold isn't coming to Canada, but if Samsung releases it next year and it comes to Canada, I'd be very excited to try it out for more than a short hands-on session.

I definitely want to live in a world where I go to a tech conference with nothing but my Galaxy TriFold, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a Stadia controller, and use the TriFold to write articles, take photos, scroll through social media, play Marvel Snap and actual console games with Game Pass Cloud, and watch movies. Stranger Things.