This DIY triple battery mod turns the Galaxy Z TriFold into a 9,600mAh beast

The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold has a pretty large battery compared to other phones in the company’s lineup, largely due to its unique design. Its 5,600mAh capacity should be plenty for most people, even if the phone is powering a massive foldable screen and a peppy cover display. But what if you could cram three silicon-carbon batteries into the device instead?

Skilled tinkerer and YouTuber Scotty “Strange Parts” Allen, perhaps best known for building his own iPhones, did just that in a new video.

To compress this 36-minute feature into a few lines, Allen grabs a Galaxy Z TriFold, “mutilates it,” removes its batteries and its battery management system, replaces them with silicon-carbon units, has custom plates made to fit the these larger batteries in the phone, and somehow comes out with a somewhat functional TriFold — albeit after ruining a few sacrificial units the process.

It’s an interesting watch, but one must certainly ask, “Why?”

Well, the resultant Frankenstein’s monster Z TriFold offers a battery capacity of 9,600mAh — that’s 4,000mAh more than the standard model, or the entire capacity of the Galaxy S24. And, at least judging by the final shots of the phone in the video, there isn’t too much of a size penalty either.

Silicon-carbon batteries feature anodes infused with silicon, which boast a much higher energy density than traditional graphite-only anode batteries. That’s certainly a positive, as several Android phones have already taken advantage of it, but silicon does have its drawbacks. These batteries do suffer from greater expansion and shorter longevity than their traditional counterparts.

Ironically, the battery transplant seemingly wasn’t the toughest part of the project. The real stumbling block appeared to be refitting the complex double-folding display. Allen couldn’t get the final product to work without a dreaded white line of death streaking across the extended screen.

It’s perhaps worth noting that the video is sponsored by Samsung rival HONOR, but I don’t think that detracts from Allen’s accomplishment. Either way, I find it highly amusing that even Samsung’s challengers are goading the company into adopting the industry’s latest battery technology.