Samsung Launches First Multi-Folding Smartphone As Competition From Chinese Brands Intensifies
Samsung Electronics on Monday announced the debut of its first multi-folding smartphone as it moves to keep pace with rapid innovations from rivals.
The long-anticipated “Galaxy Z TriFold” will go on sale in South Korea on Dec. 12, with subsequent launches in other markets including China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, the company said in a press release.
The phone will be available in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2026, with additional details to be shared later, the South Korean tech giant added. The Galaxy Z TriFold will ship as a single model in black with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, priced at 3,594,000 South Korean won ($2,449).
“With Apple’s expected entry into the foldable segment, Samsung is positioning this device as a multi-fold pilot to reinforce its technology leadership,” said Liz Lee, associate director at Counterpoint Research.
The device uses two inward-folding hinges to open into a 10-inch display — slightly smaller than the 11th-generation iPad’s 11-inch display — with a 2160 x 1584 resolution.
When its screen panels are folded, the device measures 12.9 millimeters (0.5 inches) thick — marginally thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold6 at 12.1 mm and the latest Galaxy Z Fold7 at 8.9 mm.
“Samsung’s first tri-fold model will ship in very limited volume, but scale is not the objective,” Lee said in a statement shared with CNBC.
“With competitive dynamics set to shift materially in 2026, especially with Apple’s expected entry into the foldable segment, Samsung is positioning this device as a multi-fold pilot to reinforce its technology leadership.”
Lee added that the product is designed to test durability, hinge engineering and software performance while collecting real-world user insights ahead of broader commercialization.
The phone’s three foldable panels can run three apps vertically side by side and offer a desktop-like mode without requiring a separate display.
The TriFold features Samsung’s largest battery capacity among its foldable devices and supports super-fast charging that reaches 50% in 30 minutes.
TM Roh, recently appointed Samsung Electronics co-CEO and head of the Device eXperience division, said the Galaxy Z TriFold reflects years of work on foldable designs and aims to balance portability, performance and productivity in a single device.
Samsung was an early innovator in folding smartphones, unveiling its first foldable in 2019. While the market has remained relatively small, new competitors have continued to enter, including Chinese brands that are competitive in both pricing and dimensions.
In September, telecommunications giant Huawei announced its second-generation trifold phone for the Chinese market, measuring 12.8 mm thick when folded.
This year has also seen brands like Honor launch foldable smartphones in international markets. Honor was spun off from Huawei in 2020 in a bid to avoid U.S. sanctions and expand internationally.
Like Samsung’s other recent foldables, the TriFold is rated IP48, meaning it is water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes but offers limited dust protection.
