Samsung’s hotly anticipated Galaxy TriFold is finally official – but how does it compare to the popular Galaxy Z Fold 7?
While both are undoubtedly fantastic foldables at the top of their game, the new TriFold takes things to the next level by offering a 10-inch foldable screen that looks more tablet than smartphone.
We’re yet to go hands-on with Samsung’s TriFold, but we’ve spent plenty of time with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Here’s how the two compare on paper.
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy TriFold isn’t getting a wide rollout, with no plans for a UK release at all.
Instead, it’s set to come to Korea first on 12 December, followed by release in China, Taiwan, Singapore, the USA and the UAE will follow in early 2026. There’s no word on potential US pricing yet, but it could be north of $2600.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, is widely available around the world following its July launch, and starts at a (still pricey, but cheaper) £1,799/$1,999.
The Galaxy TriFold can be used in three ways
There’s a big difference between the two foldables, and the clue is in the name. The new Galaxy TriFold can fold not two but three times, delivering not only the smartphone and foldable layouts we’ve seen so far, but also an additional tablet mode that turns the foldable into a 10-inch tablet.
Much like Huawei’s top-end Mate XT, it’s comprised of three panels, though it’s in a different configuration here. Unlike the competition and even the Z Fold 7, the TriFold’s cover is on the rear of the device, with the two sides of the folding screen folding into the centre.
Speaking of the foldable screen, it’s an impressive 10 inches with a 2160 x 1584 resolution, the same LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate as the Fold 7 and 1600nits peak brightness. That may not sound that much bigger than the Fold’s 8-inch foldable panel on paper, but with a much shorter and wider aspect ratio, there’s quite a difference in reality.
Interestingly, despite such a big difference in terms of foldable screen tech, the 6.5-inch AMOLED, 120Hz LTPO cover screen remains the same regardless of the foldable you opt for.
The Galaxy TriFold is thinner, but the Fold 7 is lighter
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 already impressed us with its new ultra-thin chassis, measuring in at just 4.2mm thick unfolded and 8.9mm when folded, but the TriFold takes things to the next level.
The new foldable measures in at just 3.9mm at its thinnest point – discounting the rather obvious camera bump, of course – when unfolded into its tablet form. The catch is that Samsung hasn’t shared just how thick the phone will be in its smartphone form – and with an additional panel to incorporate, it’s safe to assume it’ll be thicker than the Fold 7.
Where the Fold 7 wins, however, is in the weight department. At 215g, it’s not just 94g lighter than the 308g TriFold, but it’s one of the lightest book-style foldables around right now. It’s also lighter than the regular Galaxy S25 Ultra – and that’s saying something.
The Galaxy TriFold has a bigger battery – but not by much
With a bigger 10-inch foldable panel to power, it’s clear that Samsung had to pack a bigger cell than the 4400mAh alternative found in the Z Fold 7 – and it did. But not by as much as some were likely expecting.
Despite splitting the battery into three cells – in each of the panels of the device – the TriFold only offers a total capacity of 5,600mAh. It’s clear that Samsung, yet again, has decided against the superior silicon-carbon battery tech that enables much higher capacities without the associated thickness.
Whether this will be enough to power the big-screen foldable all day is yet to be seen. And, just like the Z Fold 7, the TriFold caps out at the same 45W charging. That’s fine, but not exactly the fastest out there.
Both offer the same camera setup
Despite the big difference in pricing between the two foldables, both offer the exact same combination of cameras.
That’s not a bad thing, of course; the Z Fold 7 and TriFold both offer the same high-res 200MP ISOCELL HP2 main camera as the S25 Edge, along with a 10MP 3x telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide lens. That’s also true of the selfie cameras, of which there are two – both 10MP, with one on the cover screen and one on the internal panel.
We were impressed with the Fold 7’s performance when we tested it, and it’ll likely be the exact same with the TriFold’s identical hardware.
Both feature the same Snapdragon processor
Despite the fact that Qualcomm launched a new top-end processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, in October and is now available in phones like the OnePlus 15, the Samsung Galaxy TriFold comes with the older Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset – the same as that found in the Fold 7.
It’s still a top-end processor capable of delivering great everyday performance well suited to the foldable experience, but it’s no longer the latest and greatest, and that’s a tough pill to swallow for such a premium device.
It’s clear that Samsung wants to save the debut of the next-gen chipset for the flagship Galaxy S26 range sometime in early 2026.
Early thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy TriFold sounds like a very exciting device, properly turning your smartphone into a tablet without the added heft – but an extremely high price tag and limited availability mean it’ll be a phone most won’t get to experience.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may not boast such an expansive inner screen, but it’s still a top-end foldable that gets a lot right – and importantly, it’s available much more widely, and it’s cheaper too.
That said, we’ll reserve final judgment for when we’ve tested the new TriFold, so check back soon.
