Samsung has reportedly been working on a tri-fold smartphone for several years, but has been preempted by the very expensive and stunning Huawei Mate XT, which was launched in September of this year.

According to a new leak from Korean publication ET News (via @Jukanlosreve), Samsung's three-fold challenge will have a completely different form factor than Huawei's device and a monster-sized 9“ to 10” when fully unfolded It appears to be coming next year with a display.

Presumably, the design will be finalized by the end of November and will not be the rollable smartphone announced in September. Instead, Samsung will reportedly use an “in-folding” display, where both sides of the unfolded screen fold inward.

The Huawei Mate XT uses a foldable display, as shown in the image at the top of this article. This makes the left side of the display the main screen when closed; according to ET News, Samsung will probably include an external display like the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Google's new Pixel 9 Fold similarly has a display on the outside when closed.

Looking at Huawei's device, one would imagine that Samsung's purpose for this different type of foldable display is to protect the exposed folds on the Mate XT. This would require enlarging one of Samsung's three-fold hinges, which could create a balance issue.

An inside source told ET News (machine translation), “The bi-fold foldable phone recently announced in China folded once inward and once outward, but Samsung Electronics chose the bi-fold form because of reliability issues. Folding it outward exposes the display to the outside, making it more vulnerable to drops and shocks.” [S had the same folding mechanism as the Huawei Mate XT, but the Flex G showcased a display that folds inward. The device, however, did not have an outside display.

ET News reports that Samsung is looking to adopt a foldable screen size between 9“ and 10”; the Mate XT's display is 10.2“ and the current Z Fold 6 is 7.6”.

ET News reported that Samsung Electronics announced a new form factor foldable device during its Q3 earnings call this year. Daniel Araujo, senior vice president of Samsung Electronics, said, “We are also preparing a new form factor for consumers seeking a more powerful and innovative mobile experience, which we will bring to market once we have ensured satisfactory quality and experience in the actual usage environment of our customers.”

We are curious if the folds on these multi-folding displays will be more pronounced or less pronounced. The Samsung Fold 6 SE, available only in China and Korea, has an impressive, almost zero display folds, which may be reflected in next year's Z Fold 7.

The report claims that Apple will enter the foldable market next year with its own iPhone Flip, but most reports we have seen say that Apple will not launch a foldable phone until 2026 at the earliest, maybe even 2028. It is said that Apple will not launch a foldable phone until 2026, possibly not until 2028.