Did Samsung just tell us a tri-fold phone is coming soon?
Samsung might have just tipped its own hand about future foldable phones.
What you need to know
- Samsung teased a tri-folding phone at Galaxy Unpacked 2025.
- During the event, the tri-fold graphic appeared as Samsung was talking about its ecosystem of Galaxy devices.
- Rumors suggest Samsung has been working on a tri-fold phone, as prototypes have been shown off in the past.
Like many of you, I was watching along as Samsung introduced the new Galaxy S25 series. As if I weren't excited enough about all of the upcoming Galaxy AI and Gemini features on the way, Samsung showed off an outlined render of a tri-fold foldable phone.
The graphic that was shown, was essentially a timeline of various devices, with the Android XR headset found right in the middle. However, to the left of the Project Moohan outline, was both the Galaxy Z Fold as we know it today and an outline of the tri-fold folding phone.
Samsung has been rumored to be working on a tri-fold for some time now. Prototypes of such devices have been shown off at various trade shows, including CES 2025, where the Samsung Display booth actually had two concept devices on display. One of which can be folded in upon itself, and unfolds as if you were opening a book.
The other was a tri-fold folding phone that works similarly to the Huawei Mate XT that was released in 2024. The different screens are layered on top of one another, offering the ability to use just two of the three panels at once, if you wanted to.
Just earlier this week, a rumor surfaced suggesting that Samsung's tri-fold will "feature a 9.9 to 10-inch screen when unfolded." Unfortunately, that same report claims that "roughly 200,000 units" will be produced for consumers. It sure sounds like we're in store for another Galaxy Z Fold SE situation, but hopefully, that won't be the case.
As for when the tri-fold could make its debut, expectations are that production will begin in Q2 2025, putting it sometime between April and June. What will be interesting to see is whether this tri-fold phone will at least be shown off alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7. Those devices are expected to arrive sometime this summer, potentially as early as July.
While slipping the tri-fold in there came as a surprise, Samsung just completely ignored it. At the time when the graphic was shown, the presentation was focused on Android XR, Project Moohan, and how AI will be integrated into the platform.
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After feeling as though the Galaxy Z Fold series has become a bit stale, this could be the spark that Samsung needs to reinvigorate itself and the foldable form factor. Now it's just a matter of playing the "wait and see" game until some type of formal announcement is made.
The entire Galaxy S25 lineup has just been announced, and there are already some incredible pre-order deals on deck. If ordering direct from Samsung, you can get up to $500 off instantly when trading in your current phone, plus a $50 voucher that can be used for accessories.
Andrew Myrick is a Senior Editor at Android Central. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is collecting different headphones, even if they all end up in the same drawer.