Samsung Electronics Co has unveiled its first so-called “trifold” smartphone, flaunting its engineering prowess in foldable devices even as the broader category has yet to catch on with mainstream consumers.
The handset, called the Galaxy Z TriFold, is part of a small subset of folding phones that have two hinges, allowing them to transform into larger, tablet-sized devices.
Samsung is initially launching it in South Korea on Friday next week with a price of 3.59 million won (US$2,445).
Photo: Bloomberg
It plans to sell the phone in the US, but has not yet shared pricing. The TriFold would also be available in other markets, including Taiwan, China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
Samsung unveiled the device at an event in Seoul yesterday, several months before Apple Inc is expected to announce its first folding iPhone. The Apple product, due in the fall next year, would be a book-style design, similar in concept to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, which went on sale in July.
“Samsung’s first trifold model will ship in very limited volume, but scale is not the objective,” Counterpoint Research analyst Liz Lee said. “With competitive dynamics set to shift materially in 2026, especially with Apple’s expected entry into the foldable segment, Samsung is positioning this device as a multi-fold pilot to reinforce its technology leadership.”
Foldable handsets account for only 2.5 percent of the overall mobile market, although they achieved their highest quarterly shipments in the three months ended September, Counterpoint said.
Samsung increased its share to 64 percent of all foldables and had one of the bigger increases in shipments during that period.
Huawei Technologies Co (華為) was first to enter the trifold category, with its Mate XT last year and an updated Mate XTs this year that costs about as much as the Galaxy Z TriFold. It would put up strong competition in China, the biggest market for foldable phones so far, although it lacks Samsung’s broad Android app compatibility.
Samsung’s device has a different hinge design, folding inward from two sides, whereas the Mate models take on a Z shape when folded. When closed, the TriFold’s outer screen offers similar dimensions to a regular smartphone, but when unfurled, it provides a tablet-style experience with a 10-inch display, larger than the panel on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
In tablet-like mode, each of the device’s screens can independently run a different app. This provides the equivalent of three separate bar-style handsets side by side.
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