Huawei just unveiled the Mate XT 2, its second-generation tri-fold, and it lands weeks before Apple is expected to ship its own foldable iPhone. Unfolded, the Mate XT 2 gives you a 10-inch canvas in your pocket, which sounds great until you open the app drawer and realise most Android apps still treat the extra space as somewhere to add letterbox bars. Google’s own guidelines for large screens have been public since 2022, but the average developer still ships one column and a lot of whitespace. This is our shortlist of the best apps for tri-fold phone productivity on Android, tested with real multi-window use in mind. Every pick either supports split-screen properly, drags content between panes, opens in a floating window without redrawing from scratch, or reflows into a tablet layout the moment you unfold.
What to look for in a tri-fold-friendly app
Five things separate a genuine large-screen app from one that just stretches:
- Responsive layouts. The UI reflows into two or three columns when the screen widens, rather than centering a single mobile column.
- Split-screen support. The app declares
resizeableActivity="true"in its manifest, so Android can pair it with a second app without kicking you out to the launcher. - Drag-and-drop between panes. You can drag a picture, a link, or a chunk of text out of one window and drop it into another.
- Multi-window on foldables. The app behaves in freeform and pop-up windows, not just full-screen. Handy for keeping a chat or a calculator floating over a document.
- Low crash rate on unfold. Unfolding triggers a configuration change. Well-built apps survive it. Older or lazier apps restart, and you lose your place.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Notes | Split-screen note-taking | Yes | Free on Samsung, free elsewhere | 4.5+ |
| Microsoft OneNote | Multi-panel notebooks | Yes | Included with Microsoft 365 | 4.45 |
| Taskbar | Desktop-style app launching | Yes | Optional paid features | 4.83 |
| Nova Launcher | Tablet-mode home screen | Yes | One-time Prime upgrade | 4.51 |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Real desktop-style docs | Yes, view only | Microsoft 365 subscription | 4.17 |
| Squid | Dual-page handwriting | Yes, limited | Optional premium tier | 4.52 |
| Google Docs | Expanded editor UI | Yes | Google Workspace tiers | 4.5 |
| Samsung Internet | Split-tab browsing | Yes | Free | 4.24 |
The apps
1. Samsung Notes – Best for split-screen note-taking
Samsung Notes has quietly become the most foldable-aware note app on Android, mostly because Samsung has been designing for its own Fold line for six years. Open a page, unfold the phone, and the layout jumps into a two-pane view with the page list on the left and the note on the right. Drag a PDF from Files into the second pane and Notes will pin it beside your handwriting so you can annotate as you read. It also plays nicely with S Pen input on the Mate XT 2 when paired with a compatible stylus.
Where it falls short: Some of the deepest features (voice-linked audio, PDF annotation sync) still lean on a Samsung account. On non-Samsung hardware, expect a slightly stripped experience.
Pricing:
- Free on all Android devices
- No paid tier
Platforms: Android (all), better on Samsung
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The default note app for anyone who wants split-view writing and reading on a tri-fold with zero setup.
2. Microsoft OneNote – Best for multi-panel notebooks
OneNote’s notebook-section-page structure was practically designed for a wide screen. On the fully unfolded Mate XT 2, you get three columns at once: notebooks on the far left, pages in the middle, and the page itself on the right. Drag a heading between sections, drop an image straight from Files, or paste a table from Excel and it lands as a real table, not a screenshot. Sync is fast, offline caches survive an unfold-refold cycle, and inking works with any active pen.
Where it falls short: Getting the tri-column layout consistently sometimes takes a rotation nudge. The app has grown heavy over the years, so cold-start on a mid-tier chipset is not instant.
Pricing:
- Free for personal use with a Microsoft account
- Premium storage and features via a Microsoft 365 subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, web
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The best cross-device notebook if you already live in Microsoft 365 and want your notes to look like they belong on a tablet.
3. Taskbar – Best for desktop-style app launching
Taskbar turns a big Android screen into something closer to a PC. Instead of scrolling a grid of icons, you get a real taskbar along one edge with pinned apps, recent apps, and a start menu that searches your library. On devices that support freeform windows (which the Mate XT 2 does out of the box), it can launch apps in resizable floating windows on top of whatever else you have open. Perfect for docking a chat client in the corner while a document fills the rest of the canvas.
Where it falls short: Freeform mode needs a one-time developer setup on some devices. The interface is minimal by design, so anyone expecting a fully skinned launcher will find it plain.
Pricing:
- Free with the core feature set
- Optional paid unlock adds power features and removes small limits
Platforms: Android
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The closest thing to a desktop workflow on Android, and it earns its keep the moment you unfold to full width.
4. Nova Launcher – Best for a tablet-mode home screen
Nova Launcher has been the power-user home screen on Android for over a decade, and its foldable support has kept pace. Set a separate icon grid and dock layout for the unfolded state, add a widget column that only appears above a certain width, and the phone flips between phone-mode and tablet-mode home screens automatically as it opens. Gestures, folders, and the app drawer all scale up rather than stretch. The customisation depth is what makes it worth installing over a stock launcher on a tri-fold.
Where it falls short: Development has slowed compared to its early years, and some newer Android animations do not always match. Setup takes an evening if you actually want to tune every corner.
Pricing:
- Free covers the essentials
- Nova Prime is a one-time upgrade that unlocks the full feature set
Platforms: Android
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The customisable home screen that treats folded and unfolded as two different devices, not the same one at two sizes.
5. Microsoft 365 Copilot – Best for real desktop-style documents
The Microsoft 365 app (recently rebranded from Microsoft Office) bundles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single install that reflows aggressively on large screens. Open a Word document unfolded and the ribbon expands into a proper toolbar. Excel goes wide enough to show fifteen columns without a horizontal swipe. PowerPoint gives you a slide sorter alongside the editor. The Copilot integration surfaces AI drafts in a side pane rather than a pop-over, which is exactly what a wide canvas is for.
Where it falls short: The full editing surface, Copilot access, and offline sync of larger files sit behind a Microsoft 365 subscription. The bundle is heavier than three separate installs would be.
Pricing:
- Free tier lets you view and lightly edit documents
- Microsoft 365 subscription unlocks the full editors and Copilot features
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, web
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The one bundled Office install that behaves like a proper tablet suite when the phone is unfolded.
6. Squid – Best for dual-page handwriting
Squid is the app you install when you actually want to write on a foldable, not just type on it. It uses vector ink, so notes scale cleanly at any zoom, and the two-page layout on wide screens turns a tri-fold into a passable notebook substitute. Import a PDF and mark it up, or annotate a slide deck without leaving the app. It works fully offline, which is a rare thing among stylus apps these days.
Where it falls short: The free tier limits PDF import and a couple of paper templates. Cloud backup is manual by default, so a first-time setup step is required.
Pricing:
- Free with basic notes and pen tools
- Optional premium tier adds PDF import, extra templates, and more paper styles
Platforms: Android, Chromebook
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The strongest handwriting app on Android for anyone using a stylus on a tri-fold, especially offline.
7. Google Docs – Best for the expanded editor UI
The Docs app has always been usable on Android, but the large-screen refresh in the last year made it a genuine tri-fold app rather than a stretched phone one. Open a document unfolded and you get a document outline in a left rail, the editor in the middle, and comments in a right rail without any of them fighting for space. Real-time collaboration cursors are easier to follow because everyone has more room. Suggestion mode is finally comfortable on a phone-scale device, because it is no longer a phone-scale device.
Where it falls short: Advanced formatting (equations, complex tables) is still easier on the web. Offline mode needs to be pre-armed per document.
Pricing:
- Free with a personal Google account
- Google Workspace tiers add storage and admin features
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The default choice for shared documents, and the three-rail unfolded layout is genuinely useful.
8. Samsung Internet – Best for split-tab browsing
Samsung Internet is one of the few Chromium-based browsers on Android that treats tabs as first-class citizens on wide screens. Unfold the phone and you can see a real tab bar across the top instead of a hamburger menu, and the split-tab feature lets you view two open tabs side by side inside a single browser window. That last trick is unusual on mobile and pairs well with tri-fold hardware. Sync via a Samsung account carries bookmarks, passwords, and open tabs between devices, and the built-in tracker blocking works out of the box.
Where it falls short: The best split-tab and sidebar features assume a Samsung account. Some extensions are Samsung-only, so a Chrome refugee will find the ecosystem smaller.
Pricing:
- Free with no ads on the browsing surface itself
- No paid tier
Platforms: Android
Download: Aptoide | Google Play
Bottom line: The most tri-fold-aware mobile browser today, especially for anyone who keeps a research tab open beside a writing tab.
How to pick the right one
The right shortlist depends on what your unfolded hours actually look like:
- You take a lot of handwritten notes. Start with Samsung Notes for quick daily capture and layer Squid on top for anything you want to keep, mark up in ink, or export as a PDF. Both survive the fold-unfold cycle cleanly.
- You live in Microsoft 365. Pair OneNote with Microsoft 365 Copilot and let the wide canvas do the work. Copilot in a side pane is genuinely different from Copilot in a pop-over on a small phone.
- You want the phone to feel like a small computer when unfolded. Install Taskbar and Nova Launcher together. Taskbar gives you the freeform window flow, Nova gives you a dedicated home screen for the tablet form factor.
- Most of your work happens in the browser. Samsung Internet plus one strong editor (either Google Docs or Microsoft 365 Copilot) covers 90 percent of a working day without a laptop nearby.
- You are collaborating with others in real time. Google Docs is still the least friction, and the three-column unfolded layout finally makes commenting from a phone bearable.
Whatever mix you pick, budget an evening to actually configure split-screen pairs and freeform windows the first time. The Mate XT 2 will do the heavy lifting, but the payoff only shows up once the apps are set up to match how you work.
FAQ
Do most Android apps work on tri-fold phones?
Most apps launch, but a large share still render as a scaled phone view with letterboxing on the sides. Apps that follow Google’s large-screen guidelines (which the eight above do) reflow into multi-column layouts. Apps that do not will still be usable, they just waste space.
What is Multi-Window on Huawei Mate XT 2?
Multi-Window is the system feature that lets you pair two apps side by side, dock a third in a floating window, or run an app in a resizable pop-up. Huawei’s implementation on the Mate XT 2 supports both split-screen and freeform, and both are triggered from the recents screen or by a swipe from the edge.
Can I run three apps at once on a tri-fold?
Yes. The Mate XT 2, like other recent large foldables, supports a three-app layout when fully unfolded: two apps split side by side plus a third floating on top. Apps have to declare that they support multi-window for the split to work, which is exactly why the list above is limited to apps that do.
Does split-screen work on any Android phone, or is it a foldable-only feature?
Split-screen has been part of stock Android since version 7, so any modern phone supports it. On a small phone it is cramped. On a tri-fold, split-screen is where most of the productivity gains actually come from.
Are these apps free?
Every app on the list has a free tier that covers real daily use. Squid, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Nova Launcher have optional paid upgrades that unlock power features. Samsung Notes, Samsung Internet, Taskbar, OneNote, and Google Docs are usable in full without paying.
