Rumours are building that electronics giant Samsung will produce a tri-fold smartphone in 2025 like the stunning Huawei Mate XT which was revealed in September.
According to reports from the site MSPowerUser, Samsung filed a patent back in July 2021 which was published by the US Patent Office in early November 2024.
It has sketches of the proposed product which includes a new flexible and durable display with two hinges.
This means the device can be opened like a book, like Samsung’s current Galaxy Z Fold6, with another section of the screen able to be unfolded to form a much larger display.
The patent also shows strategically placed openings that make folding the device easier with less strain on the display.
Also onboard, according to the patent, is an anti-reflection layer made of synthetic resin along with a barrier layer to prevent screen damage.
But it is rumoured Samsung’s new tri-fold device won’t see the light today until at least 2025.
Chinese company Huawei has beaten everyone to the punch with its Mate XT which was unveiled around the time of the IPhone 16 launch in early September.
Huawei’s trifold device unfolds to a single 10.2-inch screen and then folds down twice so it can be used as a regular 6.4 inch smartphone.
When folded out to its full size, the Huawei device measures 3.6mm thick and folded down to its smallest size it is 12.8mm thick.
But the device isn’t cheap at $US2,800 yet is has sold out everywhere with resellers asking as much as $US6000 if they receive any stock.
Huawei products are only now available in China after a worldwide ban after security concerns and after being restricted to access Google’s Android operating system.
But Samsung is rumoured to be pushing ahead with its tri-fold device which it will be able to market around the world and tap into the interest in this type of product created by the release of Huawei’s Mate XT.
