Samsung’s latest hardware announcement event is scheduled for next week. On July 9, Samsung will unveil its newest foldable phones at Galaxy Unpacked, with the ultra-thin Galaxy Z Fold 7 set to steal the show. The handset is expected to be thinner and lighter than ever, with Samsung finally ready to match the offerings of its biggest rivals from China.
But Samsung might have a surprise Galaxy announcement for fans come Wednesday as well — a device that also helps it compete against Chinese rivals. The company’s first trifold phone is rumored to be making its debut, which we’ll call the Galaxy G Fold 7 for the time being.
There’s no guarantee the trifold handset will make an appearance at Unpacked next week. But it would certainly make sense for Samsung to tease devices that might be unveiled in the coming months at the end of the Unpacked event.
A couple of last-minute leaks ahead of the long July 4 weekend give us an idea of what the Galaxy G Fold 7 might look like, its specs, and its sky-high price.
What are trifold phones?
Before we begin, I need to explain the silly name we’ve been using for devices like the Huawei Mate XT and the upcoming Galaxy G Fold 7. We call them triple-foldable or trifold devices, which are both technically incorrect descriptors.
Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold line, trifold phones have two hinges and three sections. But they don’t fold three times. They fold twice. Calling them dual-fold would be confusing, though, as some might think it’s in reference to the screen sections that fold onto each other.
Without a better name in place, trifold phones will have to do. Speaking of names, the Galaxy G Fold 7 name is not official. Previous leaks suggested Samsung would call its trifold handset the Galaxy G Fold. The “G” indicates that two sections of the screen will fold inwards.
Since Samsung lists the handset as Multifold 7 in One UI 8 code, Galaxy G Fold 7 makes sense as a final product name.
Galaxy G Fold 7 design
The code findings come from Android Authority, which discovered animation files in the latest One UI 8 build.
These show the purported design for the Galaxy G Fold 7, and how it differs from the Mate XT. Huawei’s trifold folds in an S or Z pattern (above). Part of the foldable screen remains exposed, including the curved display area that covers the hinge. Samsung has developed similar screens in previous years (below), but it’s opting for a different design for the G Fold.
Samsung will use a design that seemingly does more to protect the trifold panel. The left and right sides of the screen fold inwards, so the foldable display is always protected. The cover display is placed on the exterior of the middle section of the panel.
The One UI 8 animations (which you can see at Android Authority) show that you’d first fold the left side over the central section. Next, the right side will close on top of the left side. This is the only way to close the phone, as the right side contains the rear camera module. Also, the right hinge is much larger than the left, to account for a larger curvature.
Yes, it’s all very confusing, but that’s because none of us has spent much time handling a trifold phone. That said, we might soon see the Galaxy G Fold 7 in action, as Samsung is expected to show it off at the end of its Unpacked stream next week, just like how it teased the S25 Edge at the end of the Galaxy S25 event a few months ago.
Rumored specs and price
A report from Korean-language media outlet The Bell says Samsung will begin mass production in September ahead of the trifold’s launch in the fourth quarter of the year.
But the industry expects Samsung to unveil the Galaxy G Fold at Unpacked next week. It’s a marketing move that serves two purposes. First, it raises awareness, informing potential consumers that a Samsung trifold phone is coming. Second, it tells the world that Samsung has what it takes to compete against Huawei and other vendors making trifold phones.
The report also notes the Galaxy G Fold 7 will have high-end specs, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that will also power the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The phone will debut a high-end foldable panel that has to be ultra-thin, highly flexible, and very durable. That’s because the screen will have two moving parts supported by a complex hinge structure.
Unfolded, the 10-inch screen will offer high refresh rate and high resolution, which are must-have features for a flagship gadget.
The rear-facing triple-lens camera will match the Galaxy Z Fold 7 hardware. As for the battery size, it will be smaller than the 5,600 mAh battery Huawei used for the Mate XT due to the Galaxy G Fold’s internal structure.
All of that will make the Galaxy G Fold 7 very expensive, with the price said to exceed 4 million won ($2,970). That’s about as expensive as the 2024 Mate XT. Huawei is rumored to be preparing a second generation model for this year.
Finally, the report notes Samsung will only sell the phone in Korea and China initially. That’s what Samsung did last year with the Galaxy Z Fold SE, which serves as the basis for this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7.
With that in mind, I will repeat what I said last year. It makes sense for Samsung to make a trifold phone of its own. The Korean giant has to prove that it can produce a phone like this, regardless of how big or small the market might be. As a fan of foldables, however, I’m absolutely not interested in trifolds, no matter how exciting they might seem.
Apple might have a much better idea for turning a phone into a large-screen tablet, but we’ll have to wait a while to see if those rumors are accurate.
