Earlier this year Huawei wowed us with the reveal of the Mate XT Ultimate Design — a tri-fold phone with an eye-watering price tag. Currently, that’s the only phone of its kind, but it may not be that way for long. Rumor has it that Samsung could launch its own tri-fold phone at some point in 2025.
This news comes from ZDNet Korea, which claims Samsung is “discussing launching a dual-hinge tri-fold phone at some point in 2025. On top of that, it’s reported that we could also see a more affordable version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Apparently, this will be part of Samsung’s plans to expand and enhance its foldable phone lineup, despite “sluggish sales." The recent announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold SE is apparently part of this, offering larger screens and a design that’s both thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The report adds that Samsung Display’s partners have already “completed the development of parts for the trifold model” which are now ready for commercialization. But the final decisions have yet to be made, so there’s no guarantee that those plans will be going ahead just yet.
Then again, with Huawei launching a tri-fold phone, other foldable phone makers won’t be far behind. It’s not in Samsung’s best interest to sit on the tri-fold foldable any longer than it has to. The foldable phone business is heating up, especially with the iPhone Flip potentially arriving in the next few years, and the more Samsung can do to make itself stand out the better.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 — a new model
The report doesn’t go into any more detail about the Z Flip 7, though leaker @jukanlosreve claims that it may not be a “budget” model — instead being an “enhanced” Z Flip phone. What this might be isn’t clear, but it’s possible that Samsung may be considering a flip-phone companion to the Galaxy Z Fold SE.
Sadly, they also point to other reports claiming that we won’t be seeing a cheaper Z Flip phone anytime soon. Which is a shame, considering how expensive foldable phones are. At least there’s still the $699 Motorola Razr 2024 for foldable fans on a budget.
So there could be big plans for Samsung’s foldable phone range going forward. But considering these are still unverified rumors, we probably shouldn’t get our hopes up just yet.
Plus, considering the cost of the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design and the Z Fold 6's $100 price hike, it’s unlikely that the rumored tri-fold will be affordable.
