Samsung could launch a tri-fold foldable next year – with a budget Galaxy Z Flip 7

The tri-fold Huawei Mate XT (Image credit: Huawei)

Right now, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 are the two flagship foldables sold by Samsung – and two of the best foldables, period – but as we go through 2025 we may see a tri-fold model and a budget version of the Flip make an appearance.

That's according to a new report by ZDNet Korea (via well-known tipster @Jukanlosreve, who has a relatively good track record for mobile predictions). The report digs into Samsung's supply chain plans for foldable displays over the next few months.

We're relying somewhat on Google Translate here, but the article suggests there's been "sluggish demand" for Samsung's 2024 foldables – although the company is still thought to have shifted around 7-8 million Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 units.

The report concludes by saying that Samsung is "discussing" launching a tri-fold foldable similar to the Huawei Mate XT in 2025, as well as a "popular" (more affordable) version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 we're already expecting to see.

Maybe, maybe not

Samsung is considering launching a budget Flip and a triple-fold device next year.https://t.co/rs6W4j3gSHOctober 22, 2024

There is some additional commentary from @Jukanlosreve worth mentioning here, suggesting that the "budget" Galaxy Z Flip is actually an "enhanced" Galaxy Z Flip – perhaps more of a special edition release, so bear that in mind.

The same source also points to another report out of South Korea suggesting there are actually no plans for a "popular" Samsung foldable with a lower price. It would seem to be a case of wait and see for the time being.

What we do know is that Samsung just pushed out a Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition phone, exclusive to South Korea (at least for now). A similar Flip model has also been rumored, and could be seeing the light of day in the near future.

That shows Samsung is still willing to experiment with its foldable line-up – and we suspect it will be keen to catch up to Huawei with its own tri-fold next year too, with other manufacturers already testing out the same form factor.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.