Galaxy Z TriFold vs Galaxy Z Fold 7: Here’s how Samsung’s foldable phones stack up

Now that Samsung revealed more about its upcoming triple foldable phone, I have a better idea of how a Galaxy Z TriFold vs Galaxy Z Fold 7 showdown could turn out. The latter’s already a solid best foldable phone contender, but I’m eager to find out where the Galaxy Z TriFold could end up on our list.

Samsung has the expertise and experience crafting some of the best foldable phones, so I’m confident that the Galaxy Z TriFold will get the same meticulous attention as what we’ve seen already with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Not only does it introduce a new form factor we haven’t been exposed to previously, but it’s gunning to be a productivity powerhouse with its massive 10-inch display — complete with a standalone Samsung DeX experience.

But then there are other factors that make me apprehensive about the new triple foldable phone, like its price and durability. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 already commands a premium price that puts it way above other the best phones out there. I’ll take what’s been officially revealed by Samsung about the Galaxy Z TriFold and compare it to what I’ve tested with the Z Fold 7 to tell you which could come out on top.

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(Image credit: Future)

When they’re completely closed, you might be surprised that both phones share the same sized 6.5-inch outer display — with the same resolution and a refresh rate up to 120Hz. I suspect the Z TriFold’s outer screen will produce just as good results as I’ve seen with the Z Fold 7.

However, it’s a totally different manner with their inner displays. That’s because the Z Fold 7 features an 8-inch AMOLED with up to 120Hz refresh rate, while the Z TriFold goes larger with its 10-inch AMOLED with the same 120Hz refresh rate. Even though it’s a difference of 2 inches, it’s enough to make them feel completely different. It’s like trying to use an iPad Mini versus an iPad Pro. They’re not the same.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung claims that this new 10-inch panel can reach up to 1,600 nits of brightness, which doesn’t say much when the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s 8-incher hit 2,310 nits in our testing. While I’m confident that the Z TriFold’s main display would be visible indoors, its lower brightness means outdoor visibility could likely be a struggle.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Well, it doesn’t look like Samsung’s changing up the cameras with the Z TriFold because it appears to be identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s arsenal. Both triple camera systems consist of a 200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. Likewise, they also appear to have the same set of selfie cameras — 10MP shooters for both the inner and outer selfie cams.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 face-off, along with our 200 photo shootout between the Z Fold 7 and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 taking a photo.

(Image credit: Future)

I suspect the Galaxy Z TriFold is going to be very much the same, including its selfie camera performances. Samsung hasn’t shared much more about what other camera features its new foldable phone could pack, but it has the same 30x space zoom feature.

Since I shoot a lot of vlogs and self recordings, I’m also interested in how the Z TriFold handles those shots. With the Z Fold 7, I can activate its cover screen while using the rear cameras to capture content of myself. I suspect it’ll be similar with the Z TriFold based on images of how it’s arranged.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the Z TriFold, I’m not surprised by the decision here given the long development time for this new device.

Knowing that, I don’t anticipate seeing any dramatic differences with their performances in all the various synthetic benchmark tests we run. Where I do intend on seeing a difference is how they manage multitasking because the Z TriFold is the obvious choice for this with its larger screen. We’ve already seen how the Z Fold 7 handles Samsung DeX, but it’ll be interesting to see how the Z TriFold juggles all the apps it can run simultaneously. I’ll explain more of this in the next section.

Apart from that, I know that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a powerhouse when it comes to playing today’s popular gaming titles. It definitely gives a totally different experience running games in full screen mode with its 8-inch main display, but I can only imagine how it’ll be much better with the TriFold’s more spacious 10-inch one.

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung packs a 4,400 mAh battery inside of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which seems tiny compared to the 5,000+ mAh capacities I see in many flagship models. On Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test, the 8-inch foldable reached an average of 10 hours and 55 minutes, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra (which has a 5,000 mAh battery) lasted 17 hours and 14 minutes.

The Galaxy Z TriFold has a larger 5,500 mAh battery, but I’m not sure if that’s enough to propel it past the Z Fold 7’s time given it has to power a much larger main display.

Hopefully the Galaxy Z TriFold’s battery life can land somewhere in between the Z Fold 7 and S25 Ultra, but at least Samsung is upgrading its wired charging speed to 45W — which is way faster than the 25W speed of the Z Fold 7.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the TriFold is going to be run Android 16 out of the box with the latest One UI 8 experience. This should give it all of the same new software features introduced on the Z Fold 7, including the same Galaxy AI features such as Photo Assist, Generative Edit and Sketch to Image. However, Samsung hasn’t shared much details around what else it’ll offer.

Instead, a lot of the attention is focused on its multitasking capabilities. When it’s opened, you can run essentially three full-sized apps across the screen — and possibly way more if it uses the Edge Panel like on the Z Fold 7 to run apps in a floating window. But its multitasking should be amplified when you tap into its standalone DeX mode, which makes it feel and look more like a desktop PC-life experience.

(Image credit: Future)

That’s because DeX would run natively on its 10-inch display, which is different from the Z Fold 7 because the DeX interface runs on an external monitor. What makes it even better for the Galaxy Z TriFold is that it has up to four workspaces that can run up to five apps simultaneously. If that’s not enough to convince you it’s more like a desktop computer, there’s also an Extended Mode that lets you connect a monitor to the Z TriFold to use it as a second screen.

At the core of it, the Galaxy Z TriFold is all about productivity and getting work done. Since the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a squarish aspect ratio, it’s really limited to running two apps at the same time. I’ve been able to get three and four apps to run simultaneously, but it becomes a jumbled mess on its 8-inch display. That’s why I’m stoked about how the Z TriFold is redefining multitasking on a phone because it’s certainly more equipped to do it.

Mrwhosetheboss got his hands on the Galaxy Z TriFold, but if you watch his video, you can see exactly how the larger 10-inch display makes a big difference when running multiple apps. On top of that, it appears you get both landscape and portrait orientations with it — whereas the Z Fold 7 is always stuck in the same aspect ratio.

I thought the Galaxy Z Fold 7 was turbocharged when it comes to getting work done, but the Galaxy Z TriFold looks like it’s taking a giant leap forward with its software.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is already expensive enough at $1,999, but pricing will be the biggest differentiating factor for the Galaxy Z TriFold. I’m already stoked about how it bridges the phone-tablet form factor, with a single device that’s compact enough to fit in your pocket — yet mighty enough to rival a desktop computer.

Both phones have a lot in common, like their cameras and processors, but the question you’ll need to ask yourself is how much you’re willing to spend to experience a first-gen triple foldable phone. Samsung appears to be raising the bar high here, but at what cost?

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has already established itself as a premier foldable phone that showcases its expertise in designing foldable phones. Not only that, but it does satisfy a lot of what most people do on their phones. But who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be carrying around tri-fold phones.

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