A Trial Balloon That Might Be a Catalyst to Segment Growth

Years ago, way before Samsung smartphones were a thing and when mobile phones were pretty much just phones that went with you and not full-scale data/entertainment centers, my wife loved her Motorola Star TAC flip-phone. It offered the power of mobile connectivity in a convenient, small form factor for maximum portability. However, mobile technology moved on, and smartphones emerged, offering so much more capability…but at the expense of portability.

New types of flip-phones (really more of a foldable design than a flip-phone) have recently emerged, thanks in large part to advances in display technology. And now Samsung has introduced a new tri-fold smartphone that looks to 1-up the competition. But will consumers pay thousands of dollars to buy it?

See the new Samsung tri-fold smartphone…

The foldable phones of today appear to be designed to offer users a larger screen in the same or similar form factor as a standard smartphone, rather than trying to reduce its size to make the phone more compact. So I doubt my wife will get in line to order this new Samsung tri-fold. However, in this case, the company appears to be upping its innovation in foldable phone technology in advance of Apple’s rumored launch of its first foldable model…expected in 2026…for competitive or market-share purposes.

Locked In a Battle for Global Smartphone Market Dominance

The two technology kingpins – Samsung and Apple – are locked in a battle for global dominance of the smartphone business. For years, while Apple has owned the U.S. smartphone market, Samsung has dominated the smartphone business around the globe. However, Apple has chipped away at the South Korean company’s lead for years now, and the two are said to be neck-and-neck. Recent reports have forecast that Apple will wrest away control of worldwide smartphone sales next year – and has already traded leadership in certain measurement periods according to the Nikkei.

While Apple has tried to compete with Samsung in the overall market, Samsung has made a concerted effort to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Apple in the high-end of the market, a segment of the market that now includes foldable phones. That appears to be its motivation in launching this new tri-fold design.

A Full 10-Inch Tablet in Your Pocket

This new Galaxy Z TriFold literally folds twice to allow a 10-inch screen – the size of a tablet – to be carried in a package approximately the same size as a non-foldable, traditional smartphone. The report from the Nikkei suggests that Samsung is using this first version “to test consumer appetite” for this concept. However, the pricing could be an issue for consumers, as the Galaxy Z TriFold carries a 3.6 million won (US$2,400) price point.

Through years of innovation in foldable form factors, Galaxy Z TriFold solves one of the mobile industry’s longest-standing challenges – delivering the perfect balance between portability, premium performance and productivity all in one device. Galaxy Z TriFold now expands the boundaries of what’s possible for mobile work, creativity and connection.

Tim Roh Samsung Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division and Co-CEO

Huawei Announced a Tri-Fold 90-Days Ago

Just ninety days ago, Huawei Technologies announced a tri-fold phone called the Mate XT with a $2,800 price tag. Other mobile phone makers, many already in the foldable game (though not tri-fold) may be looking at entering the category as well.

It is not a coincidence that existing competitors feel a call-to-arms. In September, Nikkei Asia reported that several screen suppliers said they were approached by Apple on the prospects of building a test production line for a foldable iPhone. These supplier sources said that Apple was looking to have this facility in Taiwan and was also talking about pursuing mass production in India in 2026.

An ‘Experimental Phase’

We see this initial model as a strategic pilot to validate durability, software maturity and consumer response ahead of a more refined and broader second-generation release. Both Samsung and Huawei remain in the experimental phase, releasing limited units mainly to gether feedback and test market appetite.

Liz Lee, Counterpoint Research Associate Director

Counterpoint Research says that shipments of foldable smartphones “surged” by 45% in the second quarter of 2025 on a year-over-year basis. The market researcher expects the entrance of Samsung and Huawei into this tri-fold category to serve as a catalyst to drive even greater expansion in the overall category.

New Technology Makes the Magic Work

The new Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold incorporates Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that is customized specifically for this model. It includes no fewer than five cameras – three on the rear and two on the front. One of the cameras has a 200-megapixel resolution.

Perhaps most importantly, Samsung says the Galaxy Z TriFold incorporates a new display technology for its 10-inch OLED screen. Manufactured by affiliate company Samsung Display, the screen for the TriFold has an added “reinforced” overcoat on top of the shock-absorbing display layer to yield an even more durable screen. They provided no further details on this new technology.

So it’s looking like in the high-end smartphone market, it’s go big or go home!

Learn more about Samsung smartphones, including Galaxy foldables, by visiting: samsung.com.