Samsung plans to beat Huawei with its tri-folding phone next year

Samsung may introduce its tri-folding smartphone by 2025, according to a new report. The South Korean tech giant has the necessary technology in place, and its supply chain seems ready for this next advancement in Samsung's foldable lineup, which could rival Huawei's Mate XT Ultimate, claimed as the first tri-folding phone in the world. However, the final go-ahead has not yet been given by TM Roh, the head of Samsung's Mobile eXperience (MX) division.

The tri-folding device from Samsung could allow the next big thing in the foldable device industry to reach more users since Huawei’s phone is available only in China due to sanctions on the company. Samsung’s take on the tri-folding technology is still under wraps, but it will not be a major departure from the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate. That means Samsung’s tri-folding phone will have a horizontally long screen that will fold twice.

The patents that Samsung had previously filed reveal new hinge mechanisms for more flexibility in the device, while enhanced sensor integration will allow the device to detect changes in its shape to optimise the interface. Samsung may use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the device, which could allow 40 per cent improvements in GPU performance and enhance ray tracing by 35 per cent compared to the existing Galaxy Z Fold 6’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

According to the report, Samsung has decreased the orders for foldable OLED panels by over 10 per cent, owing to a slowed demand for Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, which bring fewer upgrades over their previous generations. Samsung Display will ship about 12 million panels in 2024, which is 40 per cent less than last year’s 20 million shipments. These shipments are for Samsung’s own devices, as well as foldable phones from Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo. The slump in sales of Samsung’s foldable devices could be a reason why the company is planning to shift to a new technology.