The smartphone with a triple-fold screen is said to be on the market soon as it prepares for mass production.

According to Digital Chat Station, a Weibo account that regularly shares accurate information about unreleased products, the triple-fold phone will be commercialized sooner than expected because the double-fold smartphone is no longer a breakthrough and is less attractive to users. The first foldable smartphone was sold more than 5 years ago, and many manufacturers participated, but this product line accounts for less than 2% of the global smartphone market share. Therefore, the launch of a triple-fold model may help the market grow better.

The channel did not mention a specific brand, but said the product will have a high-end configuration and anti-folding technology. However, the device will be much thicker than current foldable smartphones and cost more than the $ 1,900 Galaxy Z Fold6.

Rendering of Samsung's tri-fold phone.

Two notable manufacturers for tri-fold smartphones are Huawei and Samsung. Earlier this year, TechNews reported that Huawei is developing a phone with a Z-shaped screen design, expected to be announced in 2024. BOE will be the display supplier for the product, while Zhaoli and Fusda will also participate in manufacturing the hinge.

Previously, technology expert Ross Young also said that Huawei's tri-fold phone was originally planned to be announced in late 2023 but was delayed. The company filed a patent for a folding screen in 2021, then added the application in March and July 2022.

Meanwhile, Samsung is also said to not want to be surpassed by Huawei, so it is racing to become the first company to announce a smartphone with a tri-fold screen.

Back in May, at the SID 2024 Information Display Expo in San Jose, TCL subsidiary CSOT also showed off a prototype phone with a 7.85-inch display that folds three times when fully opened, rather than in half. The manufacturer said the panel integrates a series of leading technologies, such as Tandem, LTPO and PLP, to provide high brightness, low power consumption and long life. The device is 0.472 mm thin when opened and 17 mm thin when folded - a level considered acceptable for an early generation of tri-fold smartphones.