Samsung used the sidelines of the Asia‑Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events in Gyeongju to lift the veil on its most ambitious foldable yet: a tri‑fold smartphone that folds twice to become a tablet‑sized display. Shown behind glass at the K‑Tech Showcase, the device — variously referred to in early reports as the Galaxy Z TriFold, Flex G or simply Samsung’s tri‑fold prototype — represents the company’s latest attempt to push the boundaries of flexible displays and hinge engineering.
What Samsung revealed (and what we can see)
Onlookers and circulating video footage provided the clearest public glimpse so far. Key takeaways:
- The device folds inward on both sides in a dual‑hinge “G”‑style arrangement, producing a tablet‑like screen when fully opened. Observers estimate the unfolded diagonal at roughly 10 inches, while the external “cover” panel measures about 6.5 inches.
- Thickness figures reported by multiple sources put the device at roughly 4.2 mm when fully opened — comparable to Samsung’s recent Galaxy Z Fold7 — and about 1.2–1.5 cm when folded shut.
- The prototype shows three display panels and visible dual inward hinges; one hinge appears wider than the other in close footage.
- External hardware cues resemble Samsung’s existing foldables: a triple‑camera array on the back similar to the Fold7, a right‑side power button that appears to include a fingerprint reader, and physical volume keys.
Samsung offered a contextual statement emphasizing continued R&D into “next‑generation form factors” and said the company planned to bring the device to users by year‑end, though it did not confirm full specifications, pricing or markets for a retail launch.
Design tradeoffs: thinness, crease visibility — and thicker bezels
The prototype looked impressively thin when viewed from the side, but close video analysis by reviewers noted some compromises. Compared with Samsung’s latest bi‑fold models, the tri‑fold appears to have noticeably thicker bezels around both the inner and outer displays — perhaps an extra millimeter or two. Industry observers suggest those wider bezels may be a deliberate tradeoff to preserve structural rigidity and protect the flexible panels while keeping the device slim when unfolded.
On a positive note, early visitors reported the crease lines — the long‑standing visual drawback of foldables — as “barely noticeable.” That echoes Samsung’s multi‑year effort to reduce fold visibility across successive generations.
Power, batteries and software hints
Several reports, citing unnamed industry sources, say each of the three panels may be paired with its own battery module — a construction choice that could extend usable battery life but complicates internal design and thermal management. Rumors also point to Qualcomm flagship silicon (Snapdragon 8 Elite was mentioned by some outlets) and a 200‑megapixel primary camera with advanced zoom on the roadmap, though Samsung has not confirmed chip or camera specs.
Software will be critical to a device with multiple screens and orientations. Samsung has hinted at software advancements and multiwindow optimizations tailored to the tri‑fold form factor, but concrete demos and workflows remain limited in the prototype footage.
Price, production and where it may sell first
Industry estimates place a possible price near 4 million South Korean won (about $2,700–$2,800), roughly double the entry price of Samsung’s Fold7, a figure that reflects the complex hinge mechanism and multi‑panel OLED construction. Initial production is expected to be limited — sources variously cite between 50,000 and 200,000 units — and several outlets suggest Samsung may launch the first run in select Asian markets (Korea, China and other parts of East and Southeast Asia; Singapore, Taiwan and possibly the UAE have been mentioned) before committing to a broader global rollout.
That staged approach would mirror caution exercised by other manufacturers when introducing novel hardware and allow Samsung to manage quality and public scrutiny for a first‑generation form factor.
Competition and strategic context
Samsung’s tri‑fold enters a field already seeded by Huawei’s Mate XT tri‑fold, which launched earlier but faced durability concerns in initial units. Analysts say Samsung’s move is as much strategic as commercial: greater significance lies in reaffirming engineering leadership in advanced displays and shaping perceptions about Korea’s high‑end device capabilities.
Market shares in foldables show rising competition: Huawei and other Chinese brands have aggressively expanded in this segment. Samsung’s tri‑fold appears designed to reassert a technological lead and to define the next frontier between smartphones and tablets.
Mixed reactions and open questions
Analysts and industry commentators offered a mix of admiration and caution. Some view the tri‑fold as a bold, inevitable evolution that could create new workflows for power users and content consumers; others warn that first‑generation high‑complexity devices often face teething problems and that a high price and limited supply could relegate the model to a halo product rather than a mass seller.
Durability remains a central question: hinge longevity, long‑term screen resilience across two folds, and effective water and dust sealing are yet to be proven at scale. Samsung’s track record with multi‑generation foldables gives it an advantage, but real‑world use and independent teardown testing will be decisive.
Bottom line
Samsung’s tri‑fold prototype is a visible statement that the company intends to push the envelope of foldable hardware. Early impressions highlight thoughtful engineering — an inward dual‑hinge design, slim unfolded profile and reportedly faint creases — but also tradeoffs such as thicker bezels and a likely premium price. The device’s ultimate impact will depend on refinement through production, real‑world durability, software that meaningfully leverages the extra display space, and whether Samsung broadens availability beyond a cautious initial set of markets.
For now, the tri‑fold is less a product than a signal: Samsung is accelerating the foldable arms race, and the next few months will tell whether consumers view this as the future of mobile or a luxury experiment for early adopters.