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Samsung is Working on a Tri-Fold Smartphone

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Samsung has been making foldable smartphones since 2019, but we have yet to see a foldable iPhone from Apple. Rumors suggest that Apple's first folding iPhone could come out in 2026 or 2027, but by then, Samsung will be even further ahead in foldable device development.

huawei-tri-fold-smartphone.jpg
Huawei's tri-fold Mate XT Ultimate​

Right now, Samsung has the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Flip, which fold in different ways. The Galaxy Fold is larger and unfolds horizontally like a book, while the Flip has a vertical fold. According to rumors, Samsung is working on yet another foldable, this one with a tri-fold design.

Samsung's tri-fold device has been rumored for quite some time, and Samsung even teased it as a "multi-fold" device at its Unpacked event, but more information about the device came out this week. As noted by GSMArena, it's looking like Samsung could call it the Galaxy G Fold, which would make it a new product line distinct from the current Z Fold models.

The tri-fold smartphone is expected to fold out into a 10-inch screen, which would make it significantly better than the current Z Fold6 flagship foldable smartphone from Samsung. The Z Fold6 is 7.6 inches when it's opened up, while the Z Flip6 is 6.7 inches unfolded.

Samsung won't have the first tri-fold smartphone on the market, because Huawei has already released the Mate XT Ultimate. You can't get Huawei's device in the United States, though, and it costs $2,800, so Samsung will be first to a tri-fold smartphone in markets outside of China.

Samsung typically announces new foldable smartphones around July, and it's looking like we could see the tri-fold smartphone unveiled this year ahead of a launch in early 2026.

If Samsung's tri-fold smartphone launches in early 2026, it will beat any Apple foldable to market, since the earliest we expect to see an Apple foldable is 2026.

As of 2024, Apple was supposedly working on a foldable iPhone with a design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, which means a vertical fold. Such a device would likely be similar in size to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but with an option to fold it in half to make for a more compact size.

Article Link: Samsung is Working on a Tri-Fold Smartphone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/04/samsung-tri-fold-smartphone/
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Just like razor blades... if one is good, two must be better, then three, and now we have FIVE-blade razors. How long will it be before a 13" iPad can fold down several times into iPhone format? Ridiculous, but if that's what consumers want...
 
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I don't care how "far behind" Apple is when it comes to foldable phones. I'd rather they take the time to get it right and solve the crease garbage that plagues foldables and makes them substantially less durable. Let Samsung and the rest blunder their way through this fad and then watch as Apple does what it always does and shows the rest of the world how to do it properly.
 
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Naraxus said:
I don't care how "far behind" Apple is when it comes to foldable phones. I'd rather they take the time to get it right and solve the crease garbage that plagues foldables and makes them substantially less durable. Let Samsung and the rest blunder their way through this fad and then watch as Apple does what it always does and shows the rest of the world how to do it properly.
Click to expand...

I honestly think the best way to do foldables is to just not do them at all.

OLED screens have been inherently bendable and foldable from the start, not because someone set out to create flexible displays, but as a natural byproduct of how the technology works.

Then tech companies sat there and wondered what they can do with a screen that bends and folds. The answer should have been "nothing" - however, here we are.
 
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The whole industry is trying to deliver LARGER mobile screens. Besides just making existing form factors even bigger & heavier (ala 20" MB, 24" MB, 30" MB, 8" iPhone, 10" iPhone, 15" iPhone, etc), the 4 ways seem to be:
  1. Fold
  2. Roll
  3. Projection
  4. Virtual (such as the screens in Vpro)
As this idea is already illustrating, as you add more folds/roll sizes, you are adding weight & (folded) thickness.

#3 really only works well in relatively dark environments.

#4 keeps size & weight fixed but can scale screen from iPhone size now to cinema-size screens. Bonus: complete privacy and physically fits in anywhere... such as a cramped airplane seat row.

Pick a favorite but the industry seems determined to deliver larger, mobile screens. And by "larger", I don't have any concept that they would stop at- say- an iPhone screen times 2. 3X would be right on those heels (as implied by this rumor)... and 4X right behind 3X.

I use a cellular iPad Mini to double as my phone (buds + VOIP app). This works perfectly fine for me. IMO: ALL apps are better on that much larger (than iPhone MAX) screen. The ONE great advantage of iPhone vs. iPad Mini doubling as phone too- again IMO- is pocketability.

As implied by the Huawei, a trifold just like that offers the traditional phone brick form factor when closed but appears perhaps bigger than Mini with opened up. To me, that would be VERY appealing. I suspect others will feel much more enthusiasm for folds/rolls once Apple rolls out one themselves. Else, much like how the collective felt about phablet phones before Apple embraced phablets, this concept will take a beating until then.
 
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As a tech fan and apple sheep....What i want is a Iphone that folds open into basically a Ipad Pro Mini book style. That to me is the dream device. A phone when you need it, an Ipad when you need it and thats it. This idea of a tri fold seems way to flimsy and delicate. Blend the phone with a mini tablet and your good for most things on the go!

The idea of a foldable ipad as in a 10-13 inch device seems dumb to me. At that size just make a hybrid laptop which they kinda allready have with the Ipad Pro line, just held back by dumb software decisions.

The whole idea of a foldable is getting the most out of a small form factor. A laptop is foldable as it opens because its a portable computer.

A phone that opens like a book into a notebook make sense. These wild ideas about folding macbooks and ipads make no sense to me. What good is a macbook that folds open without a keyboard, its just a foldable ipad then and even then what good is a foldable full size ipad that isnt a hybrid laptop tablet device?

I fail to understand the utility of such a thing. Same here with this tri fold device? Why not simply make a bigger book style fold? I tried the samsung galaxy fold 6....i hated it after an hour because the front screen was too damn narrow and the bigger version of it was a special edition and wasn't sold in the US! What kind of stupid mistake was that?

Same concept with these so called rollable screens? What is this the middle ages where we need a digital scroll to read some kind of royal announcement or something? I fail to see the utility of such things.

Maybe, if you had a laptop that opened and unrolled into a ultra wide screen, that might be somewhat useful for video editing and movie watching....but thats about it.

At best a tv that changes its size and shape based on the format of the context your watching! but even thats a novelty then anything. A good OLED tv with infinate blacks does the job just as well without the need for mechanical parts that could tear or break with use!

Alot of these projects are just samsung trying out new things to see if it sticks. Which is fine, thats how you experiment and innovate to some extent. I just dont see the practical need for foldable this big. A folding phone book style is the best implementation i feel. everything else is a novelty with too many compromises!
 
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