7 things we still don’t know about the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

Earlier this week, Samsung announced one of its biggest products of the entire year: the Galaxy Z TriFold. After months of rumors, Samsung’s first tri-fold foldable is official.

Samsung has confirmed several details about the TriFold. We know it has a 10-inch inner display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a 200MP primary camera on the back. Samsung has also confirmed several software features to take advantage of the giant screen, including native Samsung DeX and the ability to run three apps side-by-side as if you’re using three phones at once.

However, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Galaxy Z TriFold, and the missing details are equally important — if not more so.

For years, one of the main compromises of foldables compared to slab phones was durability. To get a phone with a folding display, it’s only natural that it comes at the expense of how much abuse it can take. But in recent years, this point has become less of a problem. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable with an IP68 rating, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 proved extremely durable in our review.

However, with the TriFold introducing a new, more complex folding form factor, it’s safe to assume it will be less durable than more traditional foldables. Having two folding hinges instead of one doubles the chances of mechanical failure, while increasing the size of the inner plastic display adds more real estate that’s begging to be scratched, dented, or worse.

To Samsung’s credit, it has promising durability measures in place. The TriFold has an IP48 rating, a “ceramic-glass fiber-reinforced polymer” backside to prevent cracking, and a “shock-absorbing” layer over the display. It all sounds impressive on paper, but it remains to be seen how this all holds up in the real world. And with the TriFold being one of the first foldables of its kind, we really won’t know how it’s going to fare until we get our hands on it.

In a similar vein, there’s also uncertainty around the Galaxy Z TriFold’s display creases. While brands such as OPPO and HONOR have made significant progress to all but eliminate foldable creases, this is an area where Samsung has still struggled. Even on the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7, the crease is still noticeable.

So, what does that mean for the Galaxy Z TriFold? We aren’t sure yet. Samsung’s official device renders make it look like there’s no crease to speak of, but given the company’s previous Z Fold handsets, that’s highly unlikely. And assuming the folding creases are noticeable, how much more distracting will it be to have two of them instead of just one? Is it something you’ll easily adjust to, or will it not be quite as simple to overlook like it is on the Fold 7? We’ll have to wait and see.

There’s another design question looming around the Z TriFold, and it’s a pretty simple one: How comfortable will the phone be to hold and carry? From a thickness standpoint, Samsung’s design is fairly impressive. The TriFold measures just 3.9mm unfolded and 12.9mm folded — not too far off from the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s unfolded and folded measurements of 5.6mm and 12.1mm, respectively.

However, while the thickness isn’t too big a concern, the weight is a real issue. The Galaxy Z Fold TriFold clocks in at 309 grams, which is significantly heavier than any recent mainstream foldable. For reference, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold weighs 258g, while the Z Fold 7 is just 215g. Hell, the TriFold is even heavier than the original Galaxy Fold, which weighed 276g.

With a phone so absurdly heavy and as thick as it is, that can’t be good for the TriFold’s ergonomics. The 10-inch inner screen is probably incredible for movies and games, but how long will you want to hold the TriFold when it’s this bulky? It’s a big concern.

Another concern I have with the Galaxy Z TriFold is its battery life. We know that the TriFold features a 5,600mAh battery capacity, but what we don’t know is what kind of real-world endurance that will translate to.

Compared to other Samsung foldables, this is the biggest battery we’ve ever seen. And for its part, Samsung says the TriFold offers “all-day endurance.” But what does “all-day endurance” really mean? How many hours of screen time can we expect from the battery? What’s its standby performance like?

We have a rough idea of what to expect from the battery life if we compare the TriFold to previous Z Fold handsets, but the larger 10-inch inner screen is bound to draw much more power than a Z Fold 7 or Z Fold 6. Is a 5,600mAh battery really enough to keep the lights on for a screen that big for an entire day? I have my doubts, but I hope Samsung proves me wrong.

For all the durability progress Samsung has made with its foldables, things can still go wrong. And when that happens, the company’s Samsung Care Plus device insurance can be a godsend. For $13/month or $269 for two years, a Samsung Care Plus plan for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 includes unlimited device repairs, same-day $29 cracked screen and back replacements, priority device replacements, and more. If you plan on keeping your foldable for the long term, it’s money well spent.

As of now, Samsung is being weirdly tight-lipped about the availability of Samsung Care Plus for the Galaxy Z TriFold. Samsung is offering an “exclusive display repair benefit” where TriFold owners will get a one-time 50% discount on display repair costs, but this appears to be its own standalone program and not part of Samsung Care Plus.

If that’s the case, will everyone get the 50% screen repair discount in addition to being able to cover the TriFold with a Samsung Care Plus plan? Or is that discount the only form of “insurance” Samsung is offering to TriFold owners? The TriFold is likely an expensive phone to repair, and if it’s not eligible for Samsung Care Plus, long-term use and repairs could get very pricey very quickly.

Samsung has officially stated that the Galaxy Z TriFold will first launch in Korea on December 12. But what about the rest of the world, including the US? That we don’t know.

Besides confirming a 2026 release outside of Korea, we have no clue when exactly in 2026 the TriFold will be available. It’s most likely to be released sometime in Q1 next year, which could be as early as January and as late as March. Right now, that’s as close to a release date as we have.

Last but certainly not least, there’s the matter of price. When it launches in Korea, the Galaxy Z TriFold will cost 3,594,000 KRW, which roughly translates to $2,443. If we had to guess, the TriFold will cost around the same price in the US, but we don’t know for sure.

Given that the Z Fold 7 already costs $2,000 in the US, it’s safe to assume the TriFold will cost at least $2,500. I wouldn’t be shocked if Samsung went a little above that, possibly to $2,600, but I don’t see it creeping up to $2,700 or $2,800.

Whatever the final price is, it’s going to be expensive — the most expensive phone in Samsung’s current smartphone portfolio. I certainly hope it trends closer to $2,500 instead of $2,600 or more, and we’ll know for sure whenever the full, global release happens next year.