MKBHD Goes Hands-On with Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold, a Folding Phone That Finally Delivers on the Promise

Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, just spent some time with Samsung’s brand new foldable, the Galaxy Z TriFold, and is convinced that this design ultimately addresses many of the shortcomings plaguing earlier models. When folded, the gadget seems like a regular smartphone in your hand, complete with a 6.5-inch outside display that can accomplish ordinary chores without the need to open it.

Give it a little stretch, and the screen transforms from a conventional display to a slightly larger space ideal for multitasking or watching films. If you open it up completely with the second hinge, a full ten-inch AMOLED panel emerges, providing some considerable screen real estate that’s definitely more suited to a small tablet than a phone.

Brownlee was correct when he stated that the progressive unfolding makes the entire tri-fold experience feel very natural. Instead of pushing you to utilize one size over another, the goal is to provide you with options so that you can use the device in the most appropriate way for the situation. The TriFold’s hinges snap into place with a gratifying ‘click’ and remain in place even when the device is held at a variety of angles. Samsung has also added a little warning system that vibrates and flashes an alarm if you try to fold the device up in the wrong order.

At 309 grams, it’s a little heavier than your average smartphone, but the weight is distributed rather equally over the three parts of the TriFold, preventing it from feeling slumped to one side. When you’re using it, it has a fairly balanced balance and doesn’t feel overly top heavy. Thickness-wise, you’re looking at only 3.9 millimeters at the narrowest point when the thing is fully unfolded, which is pretty slim given all the extra equipment involved in the folding mechamism.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU pushes things along fairly smoothly, with apps loading quickly, navigating between them on the large inner panel being seamless, and the animations looking very fluid because to the 120Hz refresh rate. In terms of battery life, it has a good 5,600 milliamp-hours, which is adequate for a device with as much screen to power as the TriFold. Brownlee conducted other tests that revealed it lasts a long time under vigorous use, including as extended video playback on the entire 10-inch display.

The camera setup is nothing to write home about, but it will most certainly get the job done: a 200 megapixel primary sensor on the rear, paired with an ultrawide and telephoto lens. Photos come out looking sharp and with strong dynamic range, comparable to Samsung’s finest non-folding models. The selfie cameras on both the internal and external displays perform admirably during video conversations.

Samsung’s One UI does an excellent job of adapting to different screen sizes, since the layouts all automatically adjust, allowing you to have three apps open side by side on the largest screen or optimising things for when you’re only partially unfolding the thing. Brownlee experimented with these modes and discovered that they were rather beneficial for completing tasks, such as revising documents while referring a note or two.

Durability stands out as an upgrade because the inner screen has almost no creases, which is a significant improvement over previous foldables. Samsung also provides it a good grade for dust and moisture resistance. Brownlee tested the durability by folding and unfolding the thing several times without issue, and the build feels very sturdy. Compared to Huawei’s previous tri-fold design, Samsung’s version prioritizes uniform thickness and a more conventional phone feel on the outside. According to Brownlee, this makes the Galaxy Z TriFold much simpler to carry about all day, even if it does have a large screen that you’ll want to use from time to time.