Technologies
I Tried the Galaxy Z TriFold at a Dubai Store and Its Design Made Me a Fan
Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold impressed me with its smart design choices despite being a less versatile folding phone than the Huawei Mate XT.
I was skeptical about Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold ahead of its launch. On paper, it looked like the Korean company was trading functionality for durability, resulting in another 2-in-1 foldable device rather than a true all-in-one trifold phone like the Huawei Mate XT. However, I spent 20 minutes using and folding the Z TriFold at a Samsung store in Dubai, and even that brief interaction was enough to put my skepticism to rest.
The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is essentially a wide-screen tablet that folds into a phone to fit inside your pocket. It might seem like a simple concept, but Samsung made several smart design decisions here that make the Z TriFold better than the rivals.
Samsung designed the foldable with two separate hinges of different sizes in order for its 10-inch screen to fold twice. The right hinge is similar to the one found on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but the left hinge is wider and accommodates the thickness created by two of the three sections being stacked on one another when closed. The wider right hinge feels like a spring and popped open as soon as I started to unfold it. This responsiveness gives the Z TriFold a distinct ergonomic advantage when unfolding the device.
The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is divided into three panels (hence the name). The right-most panel is actually slightly wider than the rest, creating an edge that protrudes out slightly when folded. That edge makes unfolding the phone significantly more intuitive as it’s easy for my finger to find and push open. I struggled to unfold the Huawei Mate XT, the flat-sided Galaxy Z Fold 7, as well as the Honor Magic V5 with its curved sides. In contrast, the TriFold’s protruding edge gives me a solid lip that makes it breeze to open.
Initially I didn’t take Samsung’s announcement blog post seriously when I read that the «folding mechanism has been precisely engineered for easy opening and closing, with an auto-alarm alerting the user of incorrect folding.» But in practice, the auto-alarm is shrewdly implemented and essential to this design. It makes the TriFold difficult for a person to fold incorrectly.
Three panels and two hinges means the existence of not one, but two screen creases. Some people just can’t get past having a crease on their phone’s display, especially since it can become more conspicuous the more you fold it. I couldn’t feel either crease when running my finger across the Z TriFold’s screen. Comparatively, I can distinctly feel both creases on my Huawei trifold’s display. Samsung surprised me earlier this year with it’s overhaul of the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s hinge design which by consequence minimized the depth of the crease on its folding screen. It seems that Samsung took those learnings and applied them to the Galaxy Z TriFold.
Like the Fold 7, the crease appears virtually non-existent on the Galaxy Z TriFold unless you are looking at it from an extreme angle. It likely won’t bother most people, even when using the phone unfolded in wide-screen tablet mode. Overhead room lighting might reflect on the Z TriFold’s screen and creases in a way that might bother some people.
Samsung vs. Huawei: Two distinct trifold designs
Samsung and Huawei have taken two different approaches to their TriFold phones. I find Huawei’s Z-shaped design to be more flexible than its Samsung U-shaped counterpart in terms of pure functionality. Huawei opted for a single screen that converts into three distinct form factors: a smartphone, a mini-tablet (one side unfolded), and a wide-screen tablet (both sides unfolded).
In comparison, Samsung skips the mini-tablet design entirely. The Galaxy Z TriFold can be either fully folded or fully unfolded. If you unfold the Galaxy TriFold just once, it won’t allow you to use it for anything. And that limits its usefulness.
After using the Huawei Mate XT full-time, I hoped that Samsung’s Z TriFold phone would be a similar all-in-one device. I love using the Huawei trifold as a book-style mini tablet (with just one side open) for reading and browsing on commutes. But I won’t be able to do that with the Z Trifold. Samsung’s choice limits versatility, but it could be a massive win for durability.
Huawei’s soft folding display is exposed at all times, whereas Samsung’s design protects the inner screen when it is folded shut. It’s a calculated trade-off: durability in the long-term at the expense of not having a mini-tablet mode (one side opened). I am not in favor of it. But I want any device that I’m paying $3,000 for to last me as long as it can, so I welcome the durability.
Then there are the software differences between the two trifold phone. The Mate XT’s operating system runs smoothly enough but its UI looks dated. I have to jump through hoops to install the Google Play Store on the Huawei trifold. So it was refreshing to use the new Samsung TriFold by comparison, which runs Android 16-based One UI 8. The software is clearly optimized for the Z TriFold’s massive canvas. It lets you run three windows side by side and add multiple pop-up windows for the ultimate form of multitasking. It also allows you to create separate workspaces (similar to Desktops on MacOS and Windows) with just two taps.
Magnets could’ve been useful
The Galaxy Z TriFold doesn’t have a built-in kickstand (think Nintendo Switch) or support for Qi2.2 magnetic accessories (like Apple’s MagSafe). And not having either makes it a challenge to work on it as a wide-screen tablet. Samsung should’ve included MagSafe-like magnetic accessory support so I could add a magnetic stand (think PixelSnap Ring) and easily prop it up. Then I could pair the Z TriFold with a mouse and keyboard to use like a 2-in-1 laptop.
If you want to use the Z TriFold’s 10-inch screen as a tablet and be productive, you need a kickstand. Without built-in magnets, you’re forced to find a case with a kickstand, which will inevitably make an already thick phone unwieldy. A snap-and-go magnetic stand would have been the perfect solution.
After my brief time with Samsung’s newest foldable, I have to say that the Galaxy Z TriFold is a promising device — one that might surprise a lot of people. I wish it were thinner when folded closed, but Samsung’s smart design choices have me excited for the future of folding phones.
Technologies
Fitbit Launches Luffu, AI-Powered Health Tracking for the Whole Family
Soon, you may be able to access every family member’s health data in one place.
If you’ve ever wanted a way to keep all of your family’s health records in place, Fitbit may have come up with a solution. Fitbit, well-known for its fitness wearables, announced the launch of its own health care system on Wednesday.
Luffu, which translates to the Old English word for «love,» uses AI to create what it calls an «intelligent family care system.» The platform allows family members to share all their health information through an app.
It’s unclear when Luffu will be officially available, but you can sign up for the waitlist to get access to the limited public beta. Pricing or other details have not been announced.
Luffu will allow families to keep track of everyone’s doctor’s appointments, test results, vaccine records, medications, symptoms, diet and more. The platform uses AI to learn your family’s health history and patterns, and to alert you to any changes that should be addressed, such as missed medications or abnormal vitals. The AI function organizes the data submitted into the system. The app will also connect to third-party apps and wearables, such as the Fitbit.
Luffu is meant to lighten the mental load of family care by organizing all this health data in one place, its co-founder said.
«I was caring for my parents from across the country, trying to piece together my mom’s health care across various portals and providers, with a language barrier that made it hard to get a complete, timely context from her about doctor visits,» said Luffu co-founder James Park.
Luffu will include alerts and a space to log health and medication information via voice, text, photos, and other health portals and devices. The key medical information can be shared across the platform with spouses, caregivers and parents.
A representative for Fitbit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
These New AI Transcription Models Are Built for Speed and Privacy
Mistral AI’s new Voxtral Mini Transcribe 2 and Voxtral Realtime are intended to run on your device, meaning your conversations never find their way to a data center.
Sometimes you want to transcribe something, but don’t want it to be hanging out on the internet for any hacker to see. Maybe it’s a conversation with your doctor or lawyer. Maybe you’re a journalist, and it’s a sensitive interview. Privacy and control are important.
That desire for privacy is one reason the French developer Mistral AI built its latest transcription models to be small enough to run on devices. They can run on your phone, on your laptop or in the cloud.
Voxtral Mini Transcribe 2, one of the new models announced Wednesday, is «super, super small,» Pierre Stock, Mistral’s vice president of science operations, told me. Another new model, Voxtral Realtime, can do the same thing but live, like closed captioning.
Privacy is not the only reason the company wanted to build small open-source models. By running right on the device you’re using, these models can work faster. No more waiting on files to find their way through the internet to a data center and back.
«What you want is the transcription to happen super, super close to you,» Stock said. «And the closest we can find to you is any edge device, so a laptop, a phone, a wearable like a smartwatch, for instance.»
The low latency (read: high speed) is especially important for real-time transcription. The Voxtral Realtime model can generate with a latency of less than 200 milliseconds, Stock said. It can transcribe a speaker’s words about as quickly as you can read them. No more waiting two or three seconds for the closed captioning to catch up.
The Voxtral Realtime model is available through Mistral’s API and on Hugging Face, along with a demo where you can try it out.
In some brief testing, I found it generated fairly quickly (although not as fast as you’d expect if it were on device) and managed to capture what I said accurately in English with a little bit of Spanish mixed in. It’s capable of handling 13 languages right now, according to Mistral.
Voxtral Mini Transcribe 2 is also available through the company’s API, or you can play around with it in Mistral’s AI Studio. I used the model to transcribe my interview with Stock.
I found it to be quick and pretty reliable, although it struggled with proper names like Mistral AI (which it called Mr. Lay Eye) and Voxtral (VoxTroll). Yes, the AI model got its own name wrong. But Stock said users can customize the model to understand certain words, names and jargon better if they’re using it for specific tasks.
The challenge of building small, fast AI models is that they also have to be accurate, Stock said. The company touted the models’ performance on benchmarks showing improved error rates compared to competitors.
«It’s not enough to say, OK, I’ll make a small model,» Stock said. «What you need is a small model that has the same quality as larger models, right?»
Technologies
Don’t Miss Out on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $25 Per Month
With this StackSocial offer, you’re getting access to hundreds of games for either $25 for one month or $74 for three months.
Right now at StackSocial, you can get a three-month membership for just $74, which brings each month to $25. Normally $30 per month, you can also opt for a single-month plan for $25. I’ve been following Xbox Game Pass pricing for a while, so this is a great deal. Just keep in mind, once you get your download code via email, the purchase cannot be changed or returned.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate lets you access games not only on your console but also on a PC or mobile device. Basically, you can play what you want, when you want, where you want. Game Pass adds new games all the time, with not only older titles making their way to the service but also brand-new Xbox games, including releases from Microsoft’s own studios on the day of release.
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a brilliant way to save cash while playing fantastic games, including Black Ops 6, Halo: Infinite, Hellblade 2, Starfield and tons more. While the lineup changes each month, more than 500 games are available to play. It’s the closest thing to a Netflix for games.
Please note that Microsoft allows prepayment for up to 36 months of access, so 12 is the maximum number of subscriptions you should purchase. You can check out our full roundup of all the best Xbox deals for more savings on games and accessories.
Why this deal matters
The last time we saw the Game Pass subscription discounted was around the holiday season. Right now, you can get access to hundreds of games for essentially the price of one. Whether you choose the one- or three-month option, the price is the same at $25 per month. Since most games aren’t usually priced below $25, this is a steal.
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