“Samsung’s first trifold model will ship in very limited volume, but scale is not the objective,” said Counterpoint Research analyst Liz Lee. “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.”

Foldable handsets still account for only 2.5% of the overall mobile market, though they achieved their highest quarterly shipments in the three months ended September, according to Counterpoint. Samsung increased its share to 64% of all foldables and had one of the bigger increases in shipments during that period.