In the half an hour we were able to play around with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, one thing was clear – the future of mobile is here today.
But, at least for now, it's a novelty. So kudos to the 500 people in the UAE lucky enough to be drawn in the TriFold lottery.
Here, The National takes a closer look at the Dh11,999 ($3,267) device.
Nailing the design
First of all, why is it called TriFold when it actually folds twice? That's been a pet peeve of ours since the “trifold” term began gaining traction.
In any case, Samsung’s new device folds in a specific way – right side over left – so the camera module sits outside. It means you can only use the TriFold with either the full 10-inch (25.4cm) main display or its 6.5-inch front screen. That contrasts with Huawei’s Mate XT, which can be used with only two-thirds of its screen.
Speaking of the Mate XT, Samsung has also managed to price the TriFold more competitively (although, at the time of writing, Huawei UAE has its rival on sale for Dh9,999, from the Dh12,999 full price.)
The TriFold is obviously a thick device when folded, at almost 13mm. However, Samsung managed to outdo itself as its thinnest point is only 3.9mm, slimmer than the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold7. Still, the Mate XT is even thinner, at 3.6mm.
It's hard to imagine how massive the TriFold would have been years ago. A TriFold with the original Fold's slimmest point would have been nearly 21mm thick – though that would have been thinner than the classic Nokia 9110.
Handling it is fine, though: think of the TriFold as a regular Fold with an extra layer. By engineering such a thin profile, Samsung has finally solved the problem of bulk.
How big is it?
Unfolding the TriFold gives you a massive display. Just how big is that? Let us count the ways.
Bigger than an Apple iPad mini and nearly as big as a regular iPad. About three top-end Galaxy S phones placed side-by-side. Just a little short of a letter-sized piece of paper.
In other words, get ready for a big piece of digital real estate in your hands.
Its size and slimness might give you a slightly anxious feeling when handling it. The Fold7 gave us a sense of this, and the TriFold’s additional display only adds to it. The device still feels very solid.
Samsung is backing it up with a guarantee that the TriFold, much like its lesser Z peers, will be able to withstand 200,000 fold-unfold cycles. If you do that to the TriFold for 100 times a day, mathematics dictates that the device should last nearly five and a half years (by that time the Samsung PentaFold might have emerged).
Who is the TriFold for?
Foldable devices basically merge a phone and tablet, so the age-old question remains: does it make sense to have one?
There are certain tasks that are better on a bigger screen, albeit very limited. Those include watching videos and viewing images to appreciate them more, reading text and, of course, multitasking.
Even so, you may not even take full advantage of the big display for videos, depending on their aspect ratio. Apps such as Instagram have been optimised for bigger screens, so they should be for the TriFold.
We were not able to run our standard battery test, but with a hefty 5,600mAh battery, Samsung claims the TriFold offers its best battery life. That is relative, since that uber-large screen eats up more power. The device is expected to last all day, and we anticipate it should still have power into the early hours of the following day.
In a departure from recent launches, Samsung is including a 45W power brick in the box. It told The National this is to make sure the device uses the ideal charging tool for its battery. Also thrown in is a protective case.
Quick verdict
Have “mobile” devices or smartphones peaked with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold? It's hard to say. There are foldable tablets and laptops, but a trifold may start blurring some lines between all those categories.
The TriFold is an excellent device as it addresses two needs. However, to get the most out of the device, users need greater incentives to use its larger screen. Maybe add some tablet-like capabilities, such as professional sketching? Ideal, but that would require more components, which would most probably result in a higher price tag.
So, we pose the question: is this a smartphone disguised as a tablet, or a tablet masquerading as a smartphone?
