Tri-fold phones have been rumored for four years, but it looks like the world’s first phone could finally be fully launched – and Samsung could officially announce it earlier than usual.
New rumors on Chinese social media suggest that Huawei recently passed a durability threshold, which should allow its tri-foldable phone (a phone with three screens and two hinges) to hit the market in China in the coming month at least.
The Weibo Tipster Bad review Keizer (through Huawei Central) claims that Huawei’s tri-fold phone has just “passed the 28μm test,” which is apparently a durability test for the impressively thin display and how visible the crease lines will be after multiple folds. Huawei’s foldable phone is also expected to introduce a new “inside-out” mechanism with a dual-hinge design.
A tri-foldable phone makes sense for Huawei because it will likely run HarmonyOS Next, a new iteration of its operating system. According to the Weibo tipster, that means it will be able to run “PC-level applications,” potentially blurring the lines between phone, tablet, and laptop.
These rumors follow a separate report from Digital chat station on Weibo stating that “a certain major manufacturer has started planning the production of a triple phone”. According to the leak, it will have a 10-inch internal display and both the specifications and price “are going to reach new heights”.
Adding the two rumors together, it seems increasingly likely that Huawei will beat Samsung to the battle for the “world’s first” tri-foldable phone. But since Huawei is no longer allowed to sell phones in the US, Samsung could still become the first tech giant to make a truly global tri-foldable.
Luckily for tech fans, we appear to have finally reached the end of the concept and teaser phase for these next-generation foldable smartphones, and we’re nearing the first actual launches of the form factor.
These rumors fit the timescale we heard earlier this year for the world’s first tri-foldable. At the time, the display analyst said Ross Jong Huawei’s tri-fold phone was expected to launch in late 2023, but was delayed until later this year. Senior Huawei executive Richard Yu Chengdong also said suggested in an interview in July that Huawei was about to launch a tri-fold phone.
Given how expensive the best foldable phones remain, you could argue that a price drop is more important than adding an extra hinge for more screen space. And we’ve heard rumors, though they haven’t yet materialized, that a Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE model is in the pipeline.
Still, a new phone form factor is always exciting, so the launch of Huawei’s first tri-foldable is certainly intriguing. The recent launch of Samsung’s new Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 foldables shows that the technology has matured and early teething problems, such as durability issues and noticeable creases, have been addressed. Our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review concluded that it is “an excellent foldable” that is “getting closer to perfection”.
Then again, the Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899 / £1,799 / AU$2,749, so we’re already talking laptop-style prices for a foldable with a single hinge. A phone with triple screens and dual hinges would presumably be a much further reach, making the earliest models a luxury reserved only for the most well-heeled tech fans.
If Huawei beats Samsung to the punch with the first tri-fold smartphone, it will hopefully encourage the Korean tech giant to think beyond the concepts we’ve seen so far and make its devices more realistic for the rest of us.