Samsung unveils first trifold smartphone, rivals Huawei

Samsung has launched its first trifold smartphone, the Galaxy Z TriFold, which will be available in South Korea starting December 12 for around US$2,500.

The device, featuring two hinges and a 10-inch display when fully opened, can run multiple apps across its three screens and supports a desktop-like experience with Samsung’s DeX software.

Samsung plans to roll out the TriFold in the US, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, but US pricing has not been disclosed.

The phone includes a 5,600 mAh battery, the largest in a Samsung foldable, and measures 3.9 millimeters at its thinnest point.

To address durability concerns, Samsung said it improved the hinge and frame, and is offering a one-time 50% discount on display repair.

The TriFold competes with similar models from Huawei, which first entered this segment in 2024.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Tri-fold timing meets a foldable market in contraction

Samsung’s TriFold lands as the foldable market sees its first annual drop in panel procurement (counts of display panels ordered by device makers) 1. Procurement fell 38% year over year in Q3 2024 and is expected to slip again in 2025 1. The $2,500 price makes it a halo device (a showcase flagship), not built for volume. Samsung’s foldable panel procurement (its orders for foldable displays) is set to fall over 20% in 2024, the lowest since 2021 1.
Samsung aims to regain foldable share, with growth above 20% in 2025 and a share above 50% 1. Huawei’s Mate XT is a tri-fold model that had lower-than-expected panel procurement, which signals how hard it is to scale new shapes 1.

App developers can benefit from tri-fold workflows before mainstream adoption

App makers plus enterprise software vendors can move early by tuning for tri-fold postures (how the device is folded, unfolded, or partially folded). They can also target multi-window workflows. Android’s WindowManager APIs (system interfaces for managing app windows and layouts) expose fold data through the FoldingFeature class 2. The class reports fold state, orientation, and bounds.
Testing platforms and device clouds can stand out with tri-fold emulator configs (software-based virtual devices) to catch layout bugs early. Android apps must handle posture changes and save user interface (UI) state across complex transitions 3. Time investments should track Samsung’s rollout across large markets, positioning tools and apps ahead of a possible 2026 expansion, when at least one other brand is expected to ship a tri-fold 1.