Samsung raised the ante in the foldable smartphone market on Tuesday with the introduction of the Galaxy Z TriFold.
The three-panel phone folds out to create a 10-inch QXGA+ display (2160 x 1584) with a peak brightness of 1600 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The phone’s two side panels fold inward to protect the main screen, and there’s an auto-alarm system that alerts a user when the device is being folded incorrectly.
The device can run three portrait-sized apps simultaneously — one in each panel — or a single app across all three panels. The phone also supports an external monitor.
When folded, the phone is 12.9 mm thick. Unfolded, it’s 3.9 mm thick at its thinnest point. By comparison, an iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75 mm thick, and an iPhone Air, Apple’s thinnest phone, is 5.64 mm thick.
The phone, available only in black, will be offered with 16GB of memory and either 1TB or 512GB of storage. There is no MicroSD support.
Under the hood, the phone features a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile processor and a 5,600 mAh three-cell battery, with one cell in each display panel.
At the rear of the phone, there’s a 12MP ultra-wide camera, 200MP wide-angle snapper, and 10MP telephoto unit with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom.
There are two 10MP cameras on the front of the unit — one on the screen cover and one on the main screen.
Samsung calls the TriFold its most advanced foldable, pairing a redesigned dual-hinge system with a reinforced display and stronger exterior materials, including a titanium hinge housing and Advanced Armor Aluminum frame. It will debut in Korea on Dec. 12 before rolling out to other markets, including the United States. The phone will reportedly sell for $2,440.