Samsung is planning to present a triple threat with its forthcoming foldable phone launch, according to the latest reports.
South Korean outlet ETNews is reporting that the company will have a third foldable device to show off alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 this July.
Sticking with the ‘rule of three’ theme, that third foldable will apparently be a tri-fold device in direct response to the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate.
What do we know about Samsung’s tri-fold?
Samsung has demonstrated a number of tri-fold prototypes over the years, and seems to favour the ‘G-fold’ method of folding a large tablet-like display down into a smartphone format.
That is to say, Samsung’s tri-fold will fold in on itself, protecting the vulnerable internal display. The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate , by contrast, has a concertina-like system that leaves a portion of that display exposed.
This approach will require Samsung to install a second smaller and more traditionally proportioned display on the outside, as it does with the Galaxy Z Fold series.
It’ll be able to cover such a display with significantly tougher glass, however, and shouldn’t feel obliged to offer a free display replacement like Huawei has recently.
According to several cited industry officials, Samsung will enter mass production with its tri-fold foldable in April, at the same time as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Luke Baker
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be a skinny alternative
The launch of such a super-sized Galaxy Z tri-fold would leave the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 as the more portable middle child in Samsung’s foldable family.
Separate reports suggest that Samsung could be leaning into this by making the Galaxy Z Fold 7 significantly slimmer than before.
Respected leaker OnLeaks has revealed high quality renders (via Android Headlines ) of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, and by far the biggest change compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the thickness.
According to these images, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will come in at just 4.5mm thick when open. That’s not quite as slim as the 4.2mm-thick Oppo Find N5 , but it’s still a lot slimmer than the Fold 6’s 5.6mm, and gets mighty close to the 4.4mm-thick Honor Magic V3 .
Crucially, it’ll come in at just 9.5mm thick when closed, bringing it the right side of that magic 10mm mark. That’s still thick, but it’s not unusual for a non-foldable phone to hit 9mm.
OnLeaks and Android Headlines
Bigger screens all round
According to the leaked specs that formed the basis for these CAD renders, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will go bigger with its two displays.
The internal display will increase to a 8.2-inch number, up from the 7.6-inch Galaxy Z Fold 6. The external display, meanwhile, will be a 6.5-inch unit, up from the 6.3-inch Fold 6.
With a claimed footprint of 158.4 x 143.1mm (vs the 153.5 x 132.6mm Fold 6), Samsung appears to be making its screens wider again. That’s particularly good news for the smaller external display, which could handle even more like a regular phone than before.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.
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