If you haven’t been paying attention, the month of July kicked off the summer of foldables. In short succession, we got no fewer than eight new models, with a ninth to follow in just a few weeks.
Motorola kicked things off with the two 2024 Razr foldables. Then Samsung unleashed the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 in Paris ahead of the summer Olympics. A few days later, Honor challenged Samsung with two Magic V3 versions, both thinner than the Fold 6. Finally, Xiaomi unveiled the Mix Fold 4 and first-gen Mix Flip, both phones built entirely by robots.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold will follow in mid-August, with Google having already confirmed the design and name change for the second-gen Pixel Fold.
But things are about to get even more interesting. As Samsung teases mysterious Galaxy AI phones, Apple is reportedly working on a Flip-type iPhone foldable that could hit stores in 2026. Meawhile, Huawei might launch a triple foldable phone by the end of the year, which will probably be a first for the industry.
Also known as tri-fold, triple foldable phones feature two hinges and three display parts. Technically, you’re not folding the phone three times, as it only features two hinges. But that’s what we’ve been calling them ever since we saw the first concepts.
That is, Samsung might also be working on a tri-fold of its own. It certainly has the technology to do it, like the screen below that I saw at MWC 2024 earlier this year.
Not to mention that the Galaxy AI phone teasers Samsung mobile chief TM Roh offered called for larger displays inside more mobile form factors. I speculated at the time that Samsung might be teasing tri-fold devices without committing to any specifics.
If a new report from the South China Morning Post, one of Samsung’s biggest rivals in the foldable space is getting ready to launch a tri-fold phone. That’s Huawei, whose unnamed tri-fold handset might hit stores later this year, at least in China.
South China Morning Post cites a report from Chinese state-backed media Securities Daily claiming that Huawei has a prototype ready. Mass production would start in the third or fourth quarter. The phone would also feature AI features, which is only to be expected from any new handset launching this year, whether it folds or not.
A release date isn’t mentioned, nor do we have a tentative price. But the triple foldable device could be available to buyers late this year at the earliest.
While Huawei has yet to confirm any details, the company teased “the next generation of foldable phones” in a live interview last week. Huawei’s Richard Yu Chengdong said the company has been working on these next-gen devices for the past five years.
South China Morning Post also notes that Huawei patented innovations for a dual-hinge foldable phone in 2022.
A tri-fold smartphone would offer buyers an even larger display than the usual 8-inch screen that comes with regular Galaxy Z Fold-type devices. It could become an even better tablet thanks to a better aspect ratio.
All that could happen some two years before Apple is ready to unveil its first foldable iPhone. That is if a recent report is accurate and Apple is indeed getting closer to making a foldable handset.
Huawei would also beat all Android vendors by launching a tri-fold phone this year or early 2025. However, Huawei does have a big problem. Its foldable phones have more limited appeal in international markets, as the handsets still can’t run Google apps. Huawei has developed its own mobile operating system after the US sanctions a few years ago.
\