As a fan of foldables, I used to think tri-fold models, or phones with three display sections and two hinges, would be the best possible evolution of the technology.
Now that tri-fold foldables like the Huawei Mate XT actually exist, I’m no longer excited at the prospect of carrying a smartphone in my pocket that becomes an iPad-like tablet when unfolded twice. Make that a larger tablet than the Galaxy Z Fold-type tablets.
However, there are reasons to be excited about tri-fold phones, even if you don’t plan to buy one. These devices will force companies like Huawei and Samsung to figure out key tech advancements that might benefit other devices down the road.
Take the Huawei Mate XT. The tri-fold is incredibly thin despite folding twice. Therefore it has to pack thin battery packs and a thin OLED panel. Logic boards and other chips might also be thinner than in traditional smartphones. Add the need for the Mate XT to be as durable as possible, and you end up with innovations that others might use to make other types of ultra-thin devices. The unreleased iPhone 17 Air easily comes to mind.
It’s not just Huawei making tri-fold phones. We also saw a non-commercial concept from Tecno earlier this year. More recently, Samsung has decided to make a tri-fold Galaxy Z foldable of its own. Of all smartphone vendors, Samsung is the company you’d expect to pull off such a device.
Samsung is the first big tech company to have launched a foldable phone, the original Galaxy Fold. In addition to Fold-type devices, it also developed a clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip. Then, a few weeks ago, it made a Special Edition ultra-thin foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold SE.
Several Chinese vendors have started competing against Samsung with phones of their own. Often, these companies introduce features that Samsung is too afraid to pioneer. Larger cover screens on Flip phones and ultra-thin Fold-type foldables first emerged from Samsung’s rivals.
The Huawei Mate XT tri-fold is another example of a foldable phone that Samsung has yet to launch.
Unlike other vendors, Samsung is a massive conglomerate that includes Samsung Display, one of the world’s top suppliers of OLED panels for smartphones, including foldable phones.
Samsung Display often demos OLED screen panels that could serve all sorts of foldable form factors. But the mobile division doesn’t necessarily develop commercial products featuring those screens.
Things will change next year for one of those screen concepts. According to ETNews, Samsung will launch a tri-fold foldable in 2025, but the handset will have a different design than the Huawei Mate XT.
Samsung’s tri-fold Galaxy Z device will fold twice inwards. The Mate XT has one section of the screen folding inwards while the other folds outwards. The advantage of Mate XT’s design is that one section of the screen also works as a cover screen in phone mode. The disadvantage concerns durability. A section of the foldable display is always exposed and risks accidental damage.
Samsung Display demoed OLED panel concepts for foldables like the Mate XT as recently as MWC 2024 (image above). But It can also make tri-fold panels that fold inwards.
ETNews says the Samsung tri-fold will have a screen size of 9 to 10 inches. That’s about as large as an iPad. When folded, the phone will become a “normal smartphone.” This implies Samsung will need a cover display on the back of the foldable. Huawei avoided this design by turning one of the screen’s sections into a cover screen when the Mate XT is folded.
Samsung is reportedly finalizing the design this month. It’s unclear when the phone will hit stores or how much it will cost, but these details will likely leak well before Samsung unveils the handset.
As for why Samsung needs to make a tri-fold phone of its own, the reasons are clear. Huawei put pressure on Samsung with the Mate XT. Samsung has to prove it can match the foldables of rivals. Also, the report notes Apple’s interest in foldables is another reason why Samsung is looking to diversify its Galaxy Z portfolio.
Samsung did tease a new form factor for its foldables during its Q3 2024 earnings call without revealing more details about its plans.
“We are also working on a new form factor for consumers who want a more powerful and innovative mobile experience, and we will bring the product to market at a time when we have a quality and experience that will satisfy our customers’ real-world experiences,” Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics Daniel Araujo said.
