Samsung’s tri-fold Galaxy Z foldable phone coming next year

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.

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The post Samsung’s tri-fold Galaxy Z foldable phone coming next year appeared first on BGR.

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