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ZDNET Highlights
- Samsung’s TriFold looks to be the future of foldables.
- The 10-inch wide screen makes multitasking more natural.
- It is coming to the US with a starting price of $2,899.
Amidst the giant TVs, hypnotic slot machines, and puffs of smoke and wine at CES earlier this month, I walked into a private showroom to get face-to-face with the elusive Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold.
While the foldable is officially launching in the US on January 30, there’s little left to the imagination about its specs, design, and capabilities. customer in south korea Got their units more than a month ago.
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But one thing surprised me during my intimate time with Samsung’s most premium phone yet. For a moment, as I fiddled with the trifold’s various crevices, buttons and hinges, I felt a sense of nostalgia. Specifically, in 2019, when the first Galaxy Fold was released. It was far from being a gorgeous or sophisticated handset due to its bulky design and awkwardly shaped cover screen.
But for enthusiasts, using a phone that can transform into something bigger feels like the Holy Grail of devices, as my colleague Matt Miller once respectfully said. Using the Trifold was similar, though more confidence-inducing.
The creaking and mysterious sounds of internal components disappeared. Instead, I was met with a handset that felt sturdy, thoughtfully designed and yet still familiar to use.
Most importantly, what once opened into a square now opens into a wide rectangle, making it clear to me that this is truly the end game for foldables. The wide 4:3 aspect ratio and 10-inch AMOLED screen make browsing, watching movies and videos, and general interactions in split-screen mode feel more intentional.
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As someone who uses the Z Fold 7 daily, the larger foldable display for content consumption is the biggest selling point for me. With the Trifold, the same use cases that have prevented me from switching back to a traditional slab phone have essentially intensified – mostly for the better.
That’s because there were Some? The shortcomings I experienced during my first demo of the TriFold ranged from the realization that it’s a two-handed device only, meaning you’ll have twice as many display creases and back covers to deal with, and twice as many fingerprint smudges to wipe off the screen, to the lack of a true stylus input system.
what happens next
To the public, Samsung’s pitch for the TriFold should be straightforward. It’s not about specifications or visual imperfections; It is the first true phone-tablet hybrid that is able to replace both devices without any compromises. There’s really no such thing – at least not in America.
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While it was easy to get swept up in the “shiny new object” syndrome amid the high-energy atmosphere of CES, the Trifold felt like much more than just a fleeting honeymoon phase. This could mark a fundamental shift in the way we think about mobile productivity.
I’ve always suggested that users try out foldable phones before spending any amount of money, as hand feel and personalized use cases are a big part of the form factor’s appeal. This couldn’t be more necessary for the TriFold, which Samsung says will officially launch in the US on January 30, with 512GB of storage and a starting price of $2,899 in Crafted Black.
