Huawei vs Samsung: who wins the race for the first tri-fold phone?

Samsung may not be the first to launch a three-fold smartphone.

While Samsung is preparing for its Unpacked event on July 10th, 2024, during which the company will reveal its newest devices in all four product categories, its competitors are also working on new gadgets.

"Huawei will release the world's first three-fold mobile phone, and there will be no competitors for a long time after the release because Samsung, the only competitor, is still struggling to study how to make ordinary folding machines thinner," reports tipster Ice Universe via X (formerly Twitter).

Rumors of a tri-fold phone have been circulating for a while, with Samsung and Huawei ahead in the race.

One of the obstacles to creating a tri-fold phone is maintaining its thinness without losing the quality display.

"One of the prerequisites for triple folding is that it must be thin enough, which is Huawei's strength. This is also the weakness of Samsung," shared the user, who also added that "even if the Galaxy Z Fold6 slim is released, its thickness is still not comparable to the latest folding machine of China brand. Once you fall behind, it's hard to catch up."

However, not all X users agreed with Ice Universe's predictions of Samsung pulling back.

"Did Apple fail because it didn't release a foldable phone? Why would Samsung fail for being later? Creating slimmer models isn't Samsung's concern. Samsung's concern is durability since its brand image is worldwide. After the Note 7, Samsung takes every step very seriously," one X user said.

"All these years, despite the development in foldables, the vulnerability of screens is known! the release of a triple-folding one increases this possibility exponentially! No reason for Samsung to get involved with something like this at this time…," wrote another user.

The future of tri-fold smartphones is nearer than we might think. A few months ago, TCL, a Chinese-based consumer technology company, showed its first three-fold phone. The new device that can be turned into a tablet is expected to be released at the end of 2024.