Can Samsung’s TriFold Steal Thunder from Apple’s Next-Gen Mystery Phone?

With Apple rumoured to be releasing its first foldable sometime next year, its smartphone archrival is doubling down. Or more precisely, tripling down. 

On Tuesday, Samsung introduced its Galaxy Z TriFold, featuring a tablet-sized 10-inch display when folded twice — the largest screen ever on a Galaxy phone, according to a company statement. Samsung says the new phone also has the largest battery the company has ever put in a foldable phone.

“Through years of innovation in foldable form factors, Galaxy Z TriFold solves one of the mobile industry’s longest-standing challenges: delivering the perfect balance between portability, premium performance and productivity all in one device,” TM Roh, the newly appointed co-CEO and head of the Device eXperience division at Samsung Electronics, said in the statement. 

The phone will go on sale in South Korea on Dec. 12, with a price tag of 3.59 million won (roughly $2,450), per Bloomberg. Afterward, it will roll out to markets including China, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Shoppers in the US will be able to buy it during the first quarter of 2026, though the pricing hasn’t been shared yet.  

Smart Phone Wars 

While Huawei Technologies already beat Samsung to the tri-fold arena, with its Mate XT in 2024, Apple’s expected entrance to the broader foldables market next year signals that competition is likely to grow even fiercer: 

• Just last week, Counterpoint Research said that Apple is on track to beat Samsung in shipments for the first time in 14 years and keep that top spot through 2029. 
• “Samsung’s first trifold model will ship in very limited volume, but scale is not the objective,” Counterpoint Research analyst Liz Lee told Bloomberg. “With competitive dynamics set to shift materially in 2026, especially with Apple’s expected entry into the foldable segment, Samsung is positioning this device as a multi-fold pilot to reinforce its technology leadership.”

Next Year’s Boom: Growth has slowed in shipments of foldable phones in recent years, but that may end in 2026, according to a July report from TrendForce: “Advancements in technology and declining prices are gradually positioning foldables as a key innovation in the mid- to high-end smartphone segment and a powerful tool for brand differentiation.” But will consumers welcome Apple into the fold?