The latest rumors and patent leaks suggest that Samsung’s next big move into the foldable phone market could create quite a buzz.
As its Foundry division faces significant losses and supposedly disappointing sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, Samsung appears ready to try something new.
Newly disclosed patents (via Android Headlines) reveal breathtaking designs for foldable and rollable Galaxy devices that could redefine what we expect from the best foldable phones.
Samsung’s Galaxy tri-fold phone is something I’m particularly excited about. Imagine unfolding your phone not once, but twice, to reveal a tablet-sized screen.
Sure, Honor released its Mate XT Ultimate in September, but it’s currently only available in China and it’s unclear when or if it will receive a global release. One of our contributors tested the Mate XT and was impressed. So I’d like to see Samsung try.
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According to the disclosed patent designs, this three-pronged device has a three-panel structure, with one of the three sections being significantly thicker than the others.
This thicker panel would house crucial components such as the camera, battery and processing hardware, balancing functionality and portability. When folded, it maintains a sleek shape, almost mirroring a regular phone, but when fully extended it offers the space and versatility of a tablet.
Samsung’s expertise in foldable displays gives them a head start in making this a more global reality, but it’s not without challenges. The biggest obstacle appears to be economic viability.
Producing such a complex device while keeping a reasonable price is no easy task. But if Samsung can crack the code, this trifold phone could be the game-changer the company needs to win new customers and secure a lead in the foldable market.
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However, if you thought Samsung’s three-pronged idea was ambitious, the concept of a rollable Galaxy phone is on another level.
Unlike traditional foldable phones that open horizontally, this rollable phone would expand vertically. Think of a compact, almost square device (similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 6) that expands upwards to take on the shape of a traditional phone when you need more screen real estate.
For people who are looking for compact devices but don’t want to sacrifice screen real estate, this could be the ideal solution. Rollable screens allow for a flexible expansion mechanism, meaning we could have phones that fit neatly in a pocket while extending for a full viewing experience.
I’ve never used a flip phone for more than two weeks, but as a long-time iPhone 13 mini user and a fan of smaller phones, this is definitely something I’m excited about.
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Of course, patents don’t always lead to actual products. We therefore do not know if Samsung will one day release this type of device.
What we know for sure, however, is that next year’s flagship Samsung series will be called the Galaxy S25 series, and we’ll also see Galaxy XR headsets in 2025.
