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Why the Galaxy Z Trifold’s headline hardware misses the real story — DeX is the future here
Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Trifold arrived with the kind of spectacle that only a device with two hinges and a 10-inch folding canvas can conjure. It’s a technical showpiece: three panels that unfold into an expansive display, a 200-megapixel main camera, a massive 5,600 mAh battery, and flagship silicon under the hood. Those specs make great headlines — and sales chatter — but they risk hiding what, for many users, will actually change how they work: a far more capable Samsung DeX experience that treats the Trifold less like a phone and more like a truly pocketable computer.
The hardware story — impressive, but predictable
On paper the Trifold is headline-grabbing. When unfolded it gives you roughly tablet-scale real estate in something that can still fold down (albeit a bit thicker and heavier than a single-fold device). Samsung pushed the specs — a Snapdragon 8 Elite tuned for Galaxy, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and the company’s largest foldable battery yet. Those numbers matter for journalists, spec-hungry buyers, and for one important class of users: content creators who want a big canvas for editing photos or watching media. Samsung’s global announcement and product pages emphasize this scale and power as the device’s calling card.
But there’s an important nuance: more screen area and better cameras make for great demos and gorgeous photos, yet they don’t automatically change the way you get real work done. Triple-pane multitasking on the main screen is clever — you can run three apps side-by-side — but phone-scale apps still carry phone-scale limitations: UI density, app compatibility, and touch-first designs that don’t translate perfectly to a desktop mindset. The Trifold’s hardware solves space problems; it doesn’t on its own solve workflow or input problems.
Enter DeX: the software that converts size into productivity
This is where Samsung DeX becomes the more interesting, and for many practical purposes, the more significant upgrade. DeX has always been Samsung’s desktop environment: connect your phone to a monitor, keyboard and mouse and a familiar windowed interface appears. With the Trifold, Samsung has leaned into DeX as the vehicle that actually utilizes the extra display area in a meaningful, desktop-grade way. The company’s notes about the Trifold explicitly call out DeX features like multi-desktops, extended mode, drag-and-drop app launching, and wireless DeX connection improvements — features that turn the device into a credible portable workstation when paired with a monitor. That’s not just about showing more apps at once; it’s about changing how the operating system handles windows, input, and persistent workspaces.
Why that matters: workflows, not just windows
Think about a common use case: drafting a report, referencing a spreadsheet, and sending messages to a teammate. On a conventional phone you switch apps, copy/paste, and lose context. On the Trifold’s main screen you can place three apps side-by-side, but without a keyboard and precise pointer this setup is still clumsy for long-form writing or managing dozens of windows. DeX gives you the missing piece — proper keyboard shortcuts, window resizing, multi-desktop management, and the ability to move an app between your phone display and an external monitor. In practice, this changes the device from a big phone into a pocket computer that can replace a laptop for many tasks. Samsung’s marketing explicitly promotes creating up to four DeX workspaces and using Bluetooth peripherals to make the Trifold into a true desktop.
Real world impressions: sturdier than you think — and built for DeX
Hands-on reviews already point to another practical truth: the Trifold is surprisingly robust given its folding mechanics, and its width makes multitasking more comfortable than on traditional foldables. Reviewers note that while the hardware impresses, the real productivity gains show up when the device is used with DeX and peripherals — that’s where the tri-fold format stops being a novelty and starts being practical. In other words: the Trifold’s hardware is necessary to enable a compelling mobile desktop experience, but DeX is the feature that turns that potential into day-to-day utility.
A few practical caveats (because real life isn’t a demo)
This isn’t a universal win for everyone. The Trifold is large and expensive; early availability has been limited and prices put it in a premium bracket where buyers expect perfect polish. Samsung also removed S Pen support from this model — a disappointment for note-takers and illustrators who wanted stylus input on that big inner screen — so users who prioritized handwriting or precise stylus workflows might be left wanting. Finally, DeX still depends on app compatibility and can suffer performance variation across certain desktop apps. But for users who value a compact, phone-first device that doubles as a capable workstation, these are tradeoffs worth considering.
The ecosystem multiplier effect
One of DeX’s underrated advantages is how it leverages the wider Galaxy ecosystem. Move from drafting on the Trifold to picking up where you left off on a Tab S, or mirror content on a Samsung Smart TV while DeX runs on a monitor — Samsung is pushing continuity features (and wireless DeX improvements) that make the Trifold not just a single device but the hub of a portable work setup. For people already invested in Galaxy Watches, Buds, and tablets, DeX becomes the glue that keeps workflows flowing across devices.
Bottom line: hardware gets the applause; DeX delivers the productivity
The Galaxy Z Trifold is, without doubt, an engineering achievement and a high-visibility statement about where mobile form factors could go next. But the honest, lasting advantage isn’t the triple hinge or the headline megapixels — it’s the conversion of that canvas into a usable desktop through DeX. For anyone who wants their phone to be more than a camera + apps — for the person who needs to write, edit, present, and manage tasks while traveling light — DeX is the real upgrade. Samsung gave us the stage (the Trifold); DeX gives us the script.