A tri-fold smartphone is on its way, Samsung executive says

Samsung is working on a tri-fold smartphone and expects to release it before the end of the year.

Samsung, the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, is known for its handheld devices with a traditional slab of glass, such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.

In 2019, the South Korean tech company launched the Samsung Galaxy Fold, its first smartphone with a foldable display. Soon after, the Samsung Galaxy Flip made its appearance.

In the meantime, several years have passed and the Fold and Flip series have had many successors. Earlier this week, Samsung introduced its latest and greatest flagships, the Samsung Galaxy Fold7, Samsung Galaxy Flip7, and Samsung Galaxy Flip7 FE.

Still, no smartphone with a tri-fold screen has made its debut at Samsung so far. However, that’s about to change, and probably sooner than you think.

Roh Tae-moon, acting Head of Samsung Electronics’ Device Experience Division, said in an interview with The Korea Times that the first tri-fold phone will be launched “within this year.”

“We are working hard on a tri-fold smartphone with the goal of launching it at the end of this year. We are now focusing on perfecting the product and its usability, but we have not decided on its name. As the product nears completion, we are planning to make a final decision soon,” Roh said.

One of the goals of the tri-fold smartphone is to enhance the way we experience artificial intelligence (AI).

“As we dive deeper into AI, the role of smartphones is becoming more important. Through hardware innovation optimized for AI services, we will fundamentally change the user experience. The smartphone is no longer just a tool. It is becoming an AI partner that sees, understands, and responds to what users are seeing in real time. Samsung is working on more innovative form factors to lead the AI era,” Samsung’s executive responded.

During the interview, Roh Tae-moon noted that the industry was skeptical when Samsung introduced the first foldable phone in 2019. Nowadays, however, they have become a major segment. To spur innovation, more competitors will have to enter the foldable market.

The very first tri-fold smartphone, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, was released in September 2024 and cost a whopping $4,600. Don’t expect Samsung’s tri-foldable smartphone to be significantly cheaper.