Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Samsung to launch Galaxy Z TriFold in Korea Dec. 12
Samsung Electronics Korea Sales Head Lim Seong-taek poses with the Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone during a media unveiling at a showroom in Seocho District, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea selected as test bed for tri-fold phone, with plans on including China as early launching market
Samsung Electronics will launch its first trifold smartphone, the Galaxy Z TriFold, in Korea next week, in a move to gauge early market response on the company’s new form factor before planned global launches.
“The Galaxy Z TriFold embodies Samsung Electronics’ craftmanship and represents a new step forward in foldable smartphones,” Samsung Electronics Korea Sales Head Lim Seong-taek said during a media unveiling in Seoul Tuesday.
“Its dual-folding design combines portability with a large-screen experience when fully opened, offering a more versatile and powerful mobile experience across different lifestyles.”
The Galaxy Z TriFold features a 6.5-inch cover display when folded into a bar-type form, which expands into a 10-inch screen when fully unfolded. To facilitate the trifold structure, the smartphone maintains a slim profile of 3.9 millimeters when unfolded and 12.9 millimeters when folded.
A model tests Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone during a media unveiling at a showroom in Seocho District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
The Z TriFold is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy, features an inward-folding structure optimized to protect the display, and alerts users with vibrations and alarms when it detects any abnormalities.
The Z TriFold will be available only with 512 gigabytes of storage and is priced at 3.59 million won ($2,438). It is the most expensive Galaxy series smartphone that Samsung has ever released, but still cheaper than Huawei’s Mate XTs Ultimate Design, whose 512 gigabyte model is priced at around $2,800.
“Despite rising component costs such as memory, we made a bold decision and worked hard to keep the price as low as possible,” Lim said during the conference.
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone is displayed at a media unveiling at a showroom in Seocho District, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
The Z TriFold will launch in Korea on Dec. 12 and is scheduled to debut in China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and other global markets. Lim said the company chose Korea as the first launch market because Korean consumers lead the foldable segment, but declined to provide further details on the release schedule for other regions.
In Samsung’s press release, China, Taiwan and Singapore were mentioned ahead of the United States and Europe as launch markets, unlike previous Galaxy releases. This is interpreted as a reflection of greater familiarity among consumers in those regions with the trifold form factor.
The folded profile of the Galaxy Z TriFold / Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
“When determining regional release schedules, we have to consider various factors including market conditions, how quickly consumers are willing to adopt the product and how fast distribution partners can respond,” Samsung Electronics Head of Smartphone Product Planning Kang Min-seok said.
Reportedly, around 3,000 units are expected to be available in Korea during the initial shipment, with global initial supply expected to remain at around 20,000 units, far smaller than that of other Galaxy releases. The move is seen as Samsung using its home market as a test bed for the new form factor before deciding whether to scale up production.
“This phone is a special edition focused less on mass sales but more on supplying enough units for customers who truly want to have new experiences,” Lim said. “Once you try it, you will clearly feel the difference compared to other products.”
The side view of the Galaxy Z TriFold / Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
The hands-on experience with the Z TriFold revealed solid craftsmanship, with high-end materials and tight engineering providing a sturdy but refined feel in the hand, reflecting a high level of manufacturing precision.
When unfolded, the device thickness approached the physical limit of USB-C connection support, and in bar mode its portability felt competitive with existing foldable offerings in the market. The unfolded screen offered a versatile multitasking experience similar to running multiple applications on a tablet-size display.
An alert shows the Galaxy Z TriFold is being folded in the wrong way during a media unveiling of the smartphone at a Samsung Electronics showroom in Seocho District, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo
The trifold display is designed to fold first from the left panel and then from the right, as the hinges for the two folding parts differ in size. If a user attempts to fold the right side first, the device issues a warning alert. To enhance durability, the hinges are engineered so that the display cannot remain at a partially folded angle.
“You don’t usually put your tablet PCs in your pocket,” Kang said. “The Z TriFold is different because its thickness and foldable form factor allow consumers to carry them around anywhere. It offers a fundamentally different experience compared to existing tablets.”