Blog Credit : Trupti Thakur
Image Courtesy : Google
The First TriFold SmartPhone Of Samsung
Samsung sure is the market leader when it comes to foldable smartphones, but it is Huawei that introduced the first tri-fold smartphone. As per a report by ZDNet Korea, Samsung is all set to launch its own tri-fold in 2025 that will be available worldwide, unlike the Mate XS ultimate edition that is limited to China.
For the uninitiated, most foldables are single-folding smartphones, while a tri-fold, contrary to its name, can be folded twice, not thrice. However, it will allow the device to be used in three different form factors – a regular smartphone, a mini tablet, and a full-fledged tablet.
Samsung is currently said to be working on two different foldable smartphones – an affordable clamshell-like foldable, which could be the company’s cheapest in the category, and a tri-fold that is likely to be the most expensive phone from the South Korean tech major.
Although Huawei is the first brand to commercially launch a tri-fold smartphone, Samsung has showcased several prototypes of such devices at CES in 2022, and the company has also showcased more foldables that can be folded both ways.
As of now, there isn’t much information on either the features or specifications of Samsung’s upcoming tri-fold smartphone. However, just like other foldables from the company, it is likely to be a flagship device, offering high-end specifications, and will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It is also expected to be one of the first foldables from Samsung to ship with OneUI 7, based on Android 15 OS.
Samsung is working on a tri-fold phone that could be launched next year, according to a report. The South Korean tech conglomerate will have to catch up to rival Huawei, after the launch of the Mate XT Ultimate Edition in China with a CNY 19,999 (roughly Rs. 2,37,000) price tag. Other smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Honor, and Oppo are also tipped to be working on their own smartphones with tri-fold displays that can be expanded to form a much bigger screen.
A ZDNet Korea report (in Korean) citing industry sources states that Samsung Electronics is considering the release of an entry-level clamshell-style foldable phone, as well as a “tri-fold model that can fold the screen twice” — both these phones could be released by the company in 2025.
The publication cites a source who claims that commercialisation plans and development of the tri-fold model’s components have already been completed by Samsung Display’s partners. However, the decision to launch the product lies with the head of Samsung Electronics’ MX division, the source added.
Orders for OLED displays used in foldable phones have dropped by 10 percent year on year, according to the report, due to lower-than-expected demand for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 models that were launched by the company earlier this year. As a result, Samsung has reportedly lowered the “rolling plan” (R/P) of OLED panels due to the decreased demand.
This is not the first time that Samsung is said to be planning the launch of a tri-fold smartphone. In March 2023, a tipster claimed that Samsung was not planning to unveil the Galaxy S23 FE — that phone was eventually launched in October 2023 — and would instead introduce a smartphone with a triple folding display. This smartphone could eventually make its debut in 2025.
Samsung has previously shown off prototypes of two smartphones dubbed Flex G and Flex S, with different folding mechanisms. While these designs are yet to make their way to consumers, they resemble the Mate XT Ultimate from Huawei, as well as the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold smartphone concept that was unveiled in August.
Blog By : Trupti Thakur