Samsung's tri-fold phone could arrive sooner than previously expected

Those of us who enjoy technological innovation love foldable phones. These handsets offer a much larger display by adding a hinge to the middle of a device which can unfurl something twice the size of its physical footprint.

Of course, that was never likely to be the end of the innovation. After being pipped to the post by the Huawei Mate XT, Samsung has been planning to unveil a tri-fold handset. Those feature three panels and two hinges, for an even larger display from a small initial footprint.

Now, it looks as though Samsung's version could launch soon. That's according to a report from Korea's ETNews, which suggests the brand is beginning to procure the necessary components to manufacture the device.

According to the report, the handset could launch alongside successors to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 later this year. That would make a lot of sense from a consumer perspective, with all of the folding handsets arriving in one go.

The report goes on to suggest that the total internal display will be 9.96-inches, with an external display measuring 6.49-inches. That's roughly the same external size as other book-style foldable handsets from the brand.

"Great," you might be thinking, "I can get my hands on one in just a few short months!"

Well, not quite. The report also suggests that just 200,000 units of the device will be produced. In the tech-sphere, that's basically a limited edition – the last-gen Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is said to have sold just shy of 16 million, for example.

It cites an unnamed industry insider as having said, “As this is a form factor that is being introduced for the first time, only a small quantity will be produced in some countries, just like when the Fold SE was released last year.”

There's every chance that this could be a release limited to certain markets, then. That's a shame for consumers eager to support the device, though it does make some sense – Samsung clearly wants to test the waters before it commits to a full launch.