Samsung highlights durability and performance in Tripfold launch

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy Z Tripfold, a smartphone that folds twice, on December 2. Last year, China’s Huawei introduced the world’s first triple-folding smartphone, the Mate XT, but faced durability concerns. Just over a year later, Samsung is launching a new device that emphasizes both durability and performance. The company said the Tripfold demonstrates “craftsmanship” during its introduction.

● Tablet and smartphone advantages combined

On December 2, ahead of its official launch, the Tripfold was showcased at Samsung’s Gangnam office in Seocho District, Seoul. The device features three connected displays. When folded, it measures 6.5 inches (164.8 millimeters), the same as Samsung’s previous foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold7, but it expands to 10 inches (253 millimeters) when fully unfolded. Opening the right screen first, which houses the camera lens, followed by the left screen, reveals the 10-inch main display. This is comparable in size to a tablet, as the Galaxy Tab S10 Fan Edition has a 10.9-inch display. Kang Min-seok, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ MX Division smartphone product planning team, said, “A tablet cannot fit in a pocket, but the Tripfold offers a large display that consumers can carry anywhere.”

The Tripfold weighs 309 grams, making it only slightly heavier than the 215-gram Fold7. Its panel is 3.9 millimeters thick when unfolded and 12.9 millimeters when folded into a bar shape. Pocket tests with the double-folded device showed it remains nearly as portable as the Fold7.

Samsung designed the Tripfold with an in-folding structure, so both sides fold inward to protect the main display. Users are advised to fold the left screen first, followed by the right. Folding the right screen first triggers notifications and vibrations, warning that the sequence is incorrect.

● Maximized multitasking capabilities

The Tripfold is built to enhance multitasking and generative artificial intelligence features. When fully unfolded, it supports multi-window functionality, letting users run up to three apps side by side, with a taskbar at the bottom for a PC-like workflow. This setup allows viewers to watch YouTube, read articles, and send messages at the same time. Using Samsung’s automatic translation feature, an English-language website can be opened with the original text on the left screen and the translated Korean version on the right.

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, the Tripfold features a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera and the largest battery of any Galaxy foldable to date, at 5,600 mAh. The device supports ultra-fast charging of up to 45 watts. It has also passed a 200,000 multi-folding test, meaning it can be folded and unfolded 100 times a day for about five years.

The Tripfold will be released domestically on December 12, priced at 3,590,400 won. Im Seong-taek, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics Korea, said, “When you use it, the differences from other company products will be immediately obvious.”


이민아 기자 omg@donga.com