Updated Dec. 6 with more details of release date and pricing, panel thicknesses and comparisons to other thin and folding phones.

The next Samsung smartphone has been revealed. The Galaxy Z TriFold is a folding phone with two hinges so its internal screen opens out to be the size of a 10-inch tablet. Here’s when it will arrive and how much it’ll cost, plus details of why it’s different from other rival folding and super-thin phones. Oh, and whether TriFold is the right name.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Release Date: Friday, Dec. 12

That’s the date that the new phone will go on sale. But there’s a catch: it’s in South Korea only, where it will be available to view from Dec. 9 in 20 stores.

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It will be available more widely, but no date has yet been attached. “Samsung Electronics will launch the ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ in Korea on the 12th and then launch it sequentially to global markets such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,” Samsung said in a newsroom post.

No exact date yet, then, though I’d be astonished if it was before 2026. A report from Bloomberg comments that it will ship in very limited volume.

And a more recent update from Tom’s Guide claimed that while no actual date has been set, there is at least a clue. “As for the U.S., Samsung says it’ll be coming sometime in Q1 2026,” it reported.

“Given that January or February could also see the next Galaxy Unpacked event for the Galaxy S26 series, it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung will wait to release the TriFold later in Q1, just to make room in between releases,” it went on.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Price

“ ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ is released as a single model of ‘Crafted Black’ color in 512GB storage with 16GB memory, and the price is 3,594,000 won,” Samsung said, which is around $2,450.

That’s not cheap, but there’s a lot in the box, it seems. “The ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ package includes ‘Carbon Shield Case’, ’45W Fast Charger’, and ‘Data Cable’ as basic components,” Samsung added.

It’s worth adding that the U.S. price is not expected to be an exact translation of the Korean price and there have been rumors that the price could be as high as $2,999. We’ll see. I suspect Samsung will pick a price that’s high, to confirm this is a premium product, but not impossible.

As to what else to expect from the phone, there are neat details in the Bloomberg report. “At its thinnest point, the TriFold measures 3.9 millimeters (0.15 inch). Inside, it contains a 5,600 milliamp-hour battery, marking the largest capacity that Samsung has used in a folding phone so far. The battery provides as much as 17 hours of consecutive video playback with the TriFold display fully open,” it reads. You can also read details about the phone on Prakhar Khanna’s post here on Forbes.

The phone will close by folding left and right parts in to the middle — so not a Z shape at all. Mind you, two folds doesn’t sound like “trifold” to me either. I fear it’s too late for sensible minds to get hold of this and rename phones with two folds as Bifold, but the name is irksome, to say the least, or am I just being pedantic?

“In a brief hands-on session, the TriFold was intuitive to use. If the user begins to fold it incorrectly — by closing the right side before the left, for instance — the phone quickly warns them with on-screen notifications and physical vibrations,” Bloomberg comments.

More than that, we know that the Galaxy Z TriFold will have three cameras, matching the Galaxy Z Fold7, meaning the new phone will include a 200MP main camera.

And it will be the first major competition to Huawei’s Mate XT — which does fold in the shape of a Z so perhaps has a better claim to the name, or am I being pedantic again? Huawei’s phone is fractionally thinner when folded, measuring 12.8mm against Samsung’s 12.9mm.

But Samsung’s phone pulls off an interesting trick. Although it’s thicker than the Z Fold7 (which only folds once, not twice) which is 8.9mm when folded, it’s only a little thicker than last year’s Z Fold6 which was 12.1mm when closed. To add an extra fold but less than a millimeter of thickness in total is noteworthy.

It seems that the Z Trifold will also lack something the Z Fold6 had, which is compatibility with the S Pen stylus. The Z Fold7 doesn’t support the S Pen either, so this may not be a surprise.

The three panels on the TriFold (so, should that be called TriPanel? Okay, I’ll get off the pedantic tip now) are all different thicknesses. The thinnest is 3.9mm thick, the central one is 4.2mm and the third is 4mm.

The thinnest has a physical SIM card slot, which is interesting because the iPhone Air does not, and it’s thicker. Reports suggest the predicted iPhone Fold will not find room for a SIM card tray either.

Samsung has also said that the fold is robust and that the phone undergoes a lot of testing, specifically “a 200,000-cycle multi-folding test, equivalent to folding the device approximately 100 times a day for five years.”.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold

Samsung Newsroom

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the Galaxy Z TriFold arrives, Galaxy S26 Ultra specs, the new Exynos promise, Pixel 10a pricing, Nubia Fold details, OnePlus 15 heads to America, and Google’s QPR2 source code released.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.

The Galaxy’s Number Is Now Three

Samsung has launched the highly anticipated Galaxy Z TriFold, a foldable device with three screen elements and two hinges to offer a pocketable phone and a tablet screen that is significantly less square than other foldable devices in the South Korean company’s portfolio. It’s a technical marvel, but it may not be the best seller some in the community are looking for:

“It will be available more widely, but no date has yet been attached. “Samsung Electronics will launch the ‘Galaxy Z Trifold’ in Korea on the 12th and then launch it sequentially to global markets such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,” Samsung said in a newsroom post. No exact date yet, then, though I’d be astonished if it was before 2026.”

The Galaxy S26 Comparison

What will be a best seller, all being well, will be the Galaxy S26 family. With specifications widely available, albeit unconfirmed by Samsung, it’s possible to compare the upcoming S26 devices with the current S25 models. As the flagship, the Galaxy 26 Ultra has the most scrutiny:

“Samsung is switching to a new 6.9-inch M14 AMOLED panel, although it probably will not get much brighter. European users will likely only get 12GB RAM, compared with 16GB in other regions such as China. At least Samsung fans around the world will probably get to enjoy the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 instead of the Exynos 2600.”

Here Comes The Exynos

Samsung has confirmed its flagship Exynos 2600 chipset. This will draw direct comparison to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 chipset, which is currently debuting in premium handsets across the Android space. The Samsung community has generally preferred Snapdragon over Exynos, at least on the top-tier Galaxy Ultra handsets. The S26 Ultra is still expected to ship in the first quarter of 2026 with a Snapdragon chipset, but Exynos could dominate the other handsets in the S26 family. Sammobile’s Asif Shak has more:

“A teaser video of the Exynos 2600 was just published by Samsung on its YouTube channel. In the video, the company says, “In silence, we listened,” hinting at controversies around performance and overheating issues associated with some previous Exynos chips. It is the South Korean firm’s indirect way of saying it understands the criticism around its chips and that it intends to improve upon their shortcomings.”

The Pixel 10a Price Conundrum

Google’s next smartphone is expected to be the Pixel 10a, which will bring the latest AI-focused hardware and smartphone technology to the mid-range. It’s expected to remain at $499, but there are still questions that need to be addressed.I took a closer look at these earlier this week.

“A more interesting question on the price will be around the pricing in the Google Store. The Pixel 9a has been discounted by $100 in the US store for a long time before the Pixel Black Friday offers. There’s every chance that the discount stays in place for Christmas. Will this forever discount carry on into the new year? What happens when the Pixel 10a arrives? Does the Pixel 9a remain discounted, and does the Pixel 10a lock in at $499 for the summer? Or does the continued use of older silicon see the 9a quietly removed from the portfolio, leaving the Pixel 10a as he sole ‘A-class’ on sale as a new handset?”

Nubia Fold Details Published

The first folding smartphone from Nubia has been confirmed by Japanese network Y!mobile. The Nubia Fold has appeared on its website, with a list price of 178,560 yen ($1,145). Given the specs, this is a very competitive offer, especially if this Fold gets a global release. GSM Arena has collected the specs, including the all-important display.

“The nubia Fold features an 8-inch main display with 2,480 x 2,200px resolution and a 6.5-inch cover screen with 2,748 x 1,172px resolution. Both panels offer 120Hz refresh rates, and the main panel supports split view modes for certain apps…

America Is Ready For The OnePlus 15

Following its global release, those looking for the OnePlus 15 in the United States were left in limbo. Without FCC certification, the device cannot go on sale, and with the government shutdown, no certification could be issued. Well, that hurdle has now passed. As GSMArena notes, the FCC is back in business, the certification has been issued, and the OnePlus 15’s US adventure is set to continue.

And Finally…

Google has released the source code for its latest Android update, feeding it back into the open-source community. Given the two-month delay in the release of Android 16’s QPR1, the community is taking the almost immediate release of QPR2 as a positive sign.

“Given that context, some developers worried Google might repeat that strategy and withhold Android 16 QPR2’s source code for an unspecified time. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. Google started uploading Android 16 QPR2’s source code almost immediately after releasing the update. This suggests the previous delay was indeed tied to the mid-cycle Pixel Drop, and that today’s update — while not officially labeled a Pixel Drop — is one in all but name.

Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!

People check the new iPhone 17 lineup at an Apple store in Shanghai on September 19, 2025 (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 sales success, balancing iOS 18 and iOS 26, four new MacBooks, Apple Satellite upgrades, moving to Meta, and the Christmas Tree lights are turned on.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.

An iPhone 17 Pro Display Warning

Apple’s new cover on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max displays has increased the protection on offer. Ceramic Shield 2 also increases scratch resistance and reduces reflections. Yet its interaction with some screen protectors reduces the anti-reflection technology, which requires direct contact with air. An iPhone 17 study by Astropad has taken a closer look at the impact of a screen protector. Forbes contributor David Phelan looks at the options you have:

“[the report] goes on to say that some screen protectors, when placed on top of Ceramic Shield 2, doubled the amount of reflectivity on the display. An anti-reflective coating is desirable, so this result is not.

“The study promotes Astropad’s Fresh Coat solution as a way or reducing reflectivity, though you could argue that it might be an even better solution to not put any protector on at all, if Apple’s claims of less scratchability prove correct — and they haven’t been widely disproved yet”

Apple Reaps iPhone 17 Rewards

The success of the iPhone 17 in global markets is having a positive effect on the iPhone market. New research from IDC suggests that Apple is on course to grow sales by more than six percent, in large part due to the vanilla iPhone’s adoption by the Chinese market. Juli Clover takes a closer look at the numbers:

“Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to grow 1.5 percent, primarily because of the success of the iPhone.”

The Balance Between iOS 18 and iOS 26

Since the launch of the iPhone 17 and iOS 26, Apple has been supporting iOS 18 for older incompatible iPhones and for users who are not yet ready — for whatever reason — to upgrade their phones. While the updated versions of iOS 18 are still available, the UI has been reconfigured to highlight iOS 26 and minimze the visibility of iOS 18.

“…the iPhone’s Software Update screen now features iOS 26.1 prominently, while iOS 18.7.2 has been demoted to ‘alternate version’ status. Users may now see a badge on the Settings app indicating the new update is available, but it won’t be installed without direct user action. For major OS upgrades, users need to manually install the new version even when they have ‘Automatic updates’ turned on.:

Three New MacBooks Before One Big Boss

This week saw a rush of details around Apple’s plans for the MacBook. While the M5 chipset has made a soft debut, 2026 should see more variants going on sale throughout the year. These will include a low-cost MacBook that will likely compete with Chromebooks, an update to the MacBook Air and the introduction of an M5 Pro MacBook Pro model. As for the fourth model…

“The biggest update arrives later in the year. Both Kuo and Gurman say Apple is working on a redesigned MacBook Pro with M6 chips and OLED displays. These machines are expected to bring some of the most dramatic changes in years, including …OLED panels with deeper blacks, higher contrast, and better power efficiency …Touch-screen support while keeping the full keyboard and trackpad.”

The Benfits And Cost Of Apple Satellite

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has revealed Apple’s plans for satellite connectivity, including navigation in Apple Maps, support for sending photos in Messages, and an API to allow developers to offer satellite connectivity. The question now is who pays for the services?

“Today, Apple’s satellite connectivity features are available for free. For more advanced capabilities in the future, Apple reportedly plans to let customers pay satellite carriers for features directly. Apple could also create a paid option for extended connectivity with a company like SpaceX. Gurman added that there have been discussions in the company about offering its own satellite service, but concerns that Apple shouldn’t act like a carrier have stifled that possibility.”

Apple To Meta Moves

One of Apple’s longest-tenured executives is leaving the company to join Meta. Alan Dye has been the head of Apple’s user interface design team for ten years. Meta’s move is seen as a precursor to designing and releasing new hardware, and will start work as Chief Design Officer on Dec. 31. Apple confirmed the move in a statement provided to Bloomberg News:

“Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in the statement. “He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity.”

And Finally…

The annual Christmas Tree reveal at Apple’s offices in Battersea, South London. Previously, Apple turned to noted designers and artists. This year twenty-four designs by the public are in rotation until Christmas Eve:

“Apple’s annual holiday projections go live at 5 p.m. U.K. time on Thursday, Dec. 4. These projections light up the 330-feet chimneys and washtowers of the Battersea Power Station in south London, Apple’s U.K. HQ. This year, for the first time, members of the public could submit their designs: Apple has just revealed the winners, and they look great.””

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.