After dominating the foldables segment for the past few years, South Korean manufacturer Samsung appeared to be taking a backseat, with Chinese smartphone giants delivering new and improved designs, beating the brand at its own game (at least in terms of sales). A new report indicates that Samsung is indeed working on a Huawei Mate XT-like tri-folding smartphone to take its foldables game to the next level. While the manufacturer did win patents for its tri-fold device a few days ago, there’s more information about this upcoming device’s design and display.
According to a report by Korean publication ET News, Samsung is indeed working on a dual-fold (or a tri-folding) design for an upcoming foldable smartphone. The source states that Samsung is looking into new form factors and, citing industry sources, claims that it will unveil this new breed of foldable device in the coming year. It also stated that the design of this device will be locked down by the end of this month.
The report also claimed that Samsung has indeed added a “double-fold smartphone” to its development lineup and that partners are also working on developing solutions for the same.
The new foldable will reportedly have a double-fold screen, which uses an “infolding” design, which should make it a bit different from the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design. The upcoming device is said to have a main display that will measure 9-10 inches when unfolded, which will be about 2-inches larger than its current top-end foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold Special, which was recently announced for the South Korean market. When unfolded, this device will feel similar to an iPad or medium-sized Android tablet. When folded, it will take on a rectangular shape, much like a regular smartphone.
The move to a tri-folding device, according to the publication, is an effort from Samsung to keep the immediate competition (Huawei and Apple) distanced. Moreover, it will also help Samsung differentiate its product line in its foldables segment, which currently includes single-folding devices in book-style and clamshell form factors. We reviewed both of Samsung’s foldables launched this year. You can read about the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 here.
