Five years after trifold smartphones appeared as futuristic props in the television series Westworld, the concept has moved from science fiction into the real world.
Samsung has officially unveiled Galaxy Z TriFold, the company’s first commercially available trifold phone – and one of the most ambitious mobile hardware launches the industry has seen in a decade.
Samsung describes the device as the culmination of years of work on foldable displays, hinge engineering and mobile AI systems. “Samsung’s relentless pursuit of new possibilities continues to shape the future of mobile experiences,” said TM Roh, CEO, president and head of device eXperience division at Samsung Electronics.
“Through years of innovation in foldable form factors, Galaxy Z TriFold solves one of the mobile industry’s longest-standing challenges – delivering the perfect balance between portability, premium performance and productivity all in one device.”
Interestingly, the trifold device concept has already made a cameo in pop culture in the TV series Westworld, in which engineers use a tablet-sized “trifold” device for monitoring android hosts and park systems, complete with three display panels folded together.
But designers of the show explained that many of the tri-folded screens were created in post-production rather than built as fully functional props on set – meaning they were largely CGI, not real physical props.
A decade of foldable R&D behind the new form factor
Galaxy Z TriFold represents Samsung’s most ambitious foldable architecture to date, using a double-folding, inward-closing mechanism that transforms a 10-inch display into a device small enough to fit in a pocket.
The company says its decade-long work on foldable engineering directly informed the design of the dual-hinge system and the structural reinforcements.
A new Armor FlexHinge, featuring two different hinge sizes working together on a dual-rail structure, is designed to achieve a smoother, more stable fold with minimal gap between panels. Samsung has also introduced a “restructured foldable display” with a reinforced overcoat and improved shock absorption.
Externally, the device uses a titanium hinge housing, an aluminum frame made of Samsung’s Advanced Armor Aluminum, and a ceramic-glass fibre reinforced back panel to improve rigidity without adding weight.
Inside, the TriFold runs on a customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy, paired with a 200 MP camera and Samsung’s largest foldable-phone battery to date – a 5,600 mAh three-cell system distributed across the device’s three panels for balanced weight and power delivery.
Every device undergoes detailed inspection steps such as CT-scanning of flexible PCBs and laser checks of component height to verify manufacturing accuracy.
A 10-inch screen for work, creativity and AI tools
When fully opened, the Galaxy Z TriFold offers a 10-inch screen that behaves “like three 6.5-inch smartphones” stitched together. Samsung says the device is optimised for multitasking, allowing users to run three apps side-by-side, resize windows freely and keep a persistent taskbar for rapid switching.
Samsung is also positioning the TriFold as its “most versatile AI phone”, integrating Galaxy AI features such as Photo Assist, Generative Edit, Sketch to Image, and Browsing Assist. The larger display enables side-by-side comparisons of edits, broader workspace layouts and contextual assistance through Gemini Live.
The device is also the first Samsung phone to offer standalone DeX, letting users open up to four virtual workspaces, each capable of running five apps simultaneously. Users can extend the display to an external monitor and pair keyboards or mice to create a portable workstation.
A foldable designed for entertainment as much as productivity
The TriFold’s Dynamic 2X AMOLED display supports up to 120 Hz refresh rate, reaching 2,600 nits on the cover display and 1,600 nits on the main screen. Minimized crease visibility and a redesigned hinge aim to create a more seamless viewing experience for video and streaming.
Samsung says the device is intended to offer a “pocket-sized cinematic experience”, with enough screen real estate to watch YouTube while scrolling comments side-by-side.
Launch timeline and early offers
Galaxy Z TriFold will go on sale first in Korea on December 12, 2025, followed by China, Taiwan, Singapore, the UAE and the US. Select retail stores in launch countries will offer hands-on demos.
Early buyers will receive a six-month trial of Google AI Pro, including Gemini-powered video generation, plus 2 TB of secure cloud storage. Samsung will also offer a one-time 50 percent discount on display repair costs for TriFold customers.
With the Galaxy Z TriFold now official, Samsung is betting that the leap from foldables to tri-foldables – long imagined in science fiction – will shape the next era of mobile computing.
