(Credit: Samsung)
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šµ Samsung just announced its next major foldable phone
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š± Called the Galaxy Z TriFold, it has the biggest screen ever on a smartphone
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š The device folds twice to reveal a huge 10-inch display
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š When folded up, it has a similar size and shape to the Galaxy Z Fold 7
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š¤ It has a titanium body, two differently sized hinges, and itās just 3.9mm thin
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š Itās powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and a 5,600mAh battery
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š Samsung says the device will ship in Q1 2026 in the United States
The rumors were true: Samsung has a tri-folding smartphone. The new device is called the Galaxy Z TriFold, and it was just announced smack in the middle of our Cyber Monday deals coverage. The phone has been leaked over and over again in anticipation of the next category of foldable smartphones, and at first glance, it seems like a promising device for those who truly want a tablet in their pocket.
(Credit: Samsung)
š Good measures. When itās folded up, the Galaxy Z TriFold looks almost identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 from earlier this year, except thicker. Thatās because there are two folding points on the device; Samsung re-engineered the new Armor FlexHinge design to come in two sizes to accommodate for the extra panel on the device. When folded, itās 12.9mm thick (4 mm thicker than the Fold 7), and when unfolded, it slopes down to just 3.9mm, which is insanely thin. Itās also 309 grams heavy, which is much heavier than most smartphones (for comparisonās sake, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is 218 grams).
šŗ A tabletās display. The extra thickness and weight likely wonāt be an issue, though, considering that when you unfold it, it reveals a huge 10-inch screen. This is the biggest advantage of the device. The TriFold can go from an ordinary 6.5-inch smartphone to a 10-inch tablet, enabling advanced multitasking features thanks to Samsungās One UI. The big screen has a 2,160×1,584 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and can reach up to 1,600 nits of brightness. Meanwhile, the cover screen as a Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and reaches up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness.
šæ Your new go-to movie machine. The display is a couple of inches larger than the foldable screen on the Z Fold 7, and considering it uses a much wider aspect ratio, this might become the default phone for those who like watching movies on the go.
šŖ Productivity on the go. Samsung says that you can also use the Galaxy Z TriFoldās folding display as an external monitor for your laptop, which actually seems useful given its size. You can drag and drop content across your devices, too, and you get full-fledged DeX – no external monitor required. You can use windowed apps in a familiar desktop-like environment, and you can customize DeX with up to four workspaces that can each run five apps simultaneously. It sounds like this thing is a serious workhorse.
š Impressive horsepower. Itās powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that Samsung says was optimized āfor Galaxy,ā although we donāt know which exact version number it is (the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has only shipped in one phone so far: the OnePlus 15). Thereās 16GB of RAM, 512GB or 1TB of storage, and a 5,600mAh battery for power. It even ships with 45W fast charging and 15W wireless charging (although, like the rest of Samsungās phones, thereās no Qi2 magnet support).
šø Same cameras as the Z Fold 7. The cameras on the back seem to offer solid specs as well. Samsung includes a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, and two 10MP selfie cameras. These are the same camera specs as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, so it seems like Samsung is sharing some parts between the devices.
(Credit: Samsung)
šŖØ Thin and durable design. The sensors live on the back of an ultra-thin smartphone that primarily uses titanium for its construction. On the back, youāll find a āceramic-glass fiber-reinforced polymerā that Samsung says is more resistant to cracks. There are extra coatings on the folding displayās glass to ensure its durability, and Samsung was even able to minimize the crease (although weāll have to get the phone in-house to know whether the crease is any better than other foldables weāve tested). The TriFold is even rated IP48 for dust and water resistance. Not too shabby for a first-generation smartphone.
š More hardware tidbits. Samsung includes a fingerprint scanner on the side for security, and there was enough room to keep the SIM slot around for those who rely on physical SIM cards. The cover glass is Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. Whatās more, the phone also supports reverse wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, 5G, and has plenty of speakers around its exterior.
š¤ Of course thereās AI. Samsung also touts the AI capabilities of the Galaxy Z TriFold, which will be familiar to anyone whoās used a Samsung smartphone in the past couple of years. Thereās Gemini and Gemini Live integration, Photo Assist for editing pictures, Browsing Assist for quick summaries of web pages, text generation features, and more. It can all be found in One UI 8 based on Android 16.
š° Pricing and availability. Samsung says the Galaxy Z TriFold will start shipping in the first quarter of 2026 in the United States. We have no clue how much itāll cost or what perks will be associated with it, but Samsung says weāll learn more as we get closer to its launch date. We do know that itāll only ship in one color: Crafted Black.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.