Samsung could have a fourth folding phone up its sleeve
It wasn't all that long ago that folding phones didn't even exist, and the ones that did, weren't without their issues. As the years have gone by, folding phones have become significantly better, but there are also a number of companies pushing the boundaries of what these devices offer a little further.
Samsung was the first to deliver a folding phone for consumers in the Galaxy Fold back in 2019, so the South Korean company has now been making folding phones for 6 years. It's expected to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 later this year, but we might also see a tri-folding flip phone at some point in the future.
A patent that was spotted by Android Headlines has been filed showing a device with a z-shape design, featuring two hinges. Currently, the Z Flip 6 simply folds in half to offering a compact form factor when folded and a typical-looking smartphone when unfolded.
The tri-folding flip phone shown off in the patent shows a triple camera on one section, a considerably thick device when folded, and a very long and slim device when unfolded. It's worth remembering that not all patents see the light of day so Samsung may never mass produce this device, or it may have a different purpose.
At MWC 2025, Chinese company Infinix presented the Zero Series Mini Tri-Fold, which was a concept device designed not only to be a smartphone but a hands-free fitness and entertainment device, as well as a compact camera.
Samsung is therefore not the first to come up with the idea of a tri-folding flip phone, but it might be the company that gives the idea mass appeal.
Other rumours have suggested Samsung is also working on a tri-fold book-style folding device to rival the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate that recently saw a global launch outside of China.
It's not yet clear if that device will arrive alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but based on rumors, if you're eagerly awaiting a Samsung tri-folding device, it seems like the book-style version is closer to launch than the tri-folding flip phone in this patent.
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Engineers probably already took exception because the bump is just as thick as the rest of the phone, and maybe they put their foot down at the extra space the hardware would have required. Unfortunately, that means the zoom on the Galaxy S25 Edge is all digital and tops out at just 10x zoom — the same as an iPhone 16 or a base Pixel 9. You could technically get creative and shoot full 200MP images from the primary camera only to crop them in tighter afterwards, but otherwise, there's no way to push the default interface further. In practice, that makes the Galaxy S25 Edge feel like a Fiat with the engine of a Ferrari — you know it could probably do more, it just won't. Let's get to some camera samples, and you'll see what I mean. 4x zoom 2x zoom I don't have too many issues with any of the shots I picked for this first row — they show the Galaxy S25 Edge's strengths pretty nicely. The subjects in all four samples are clean and sharp, with pleasant natural fall-off behind the sign in my hometown and good shadows below the rail car to the far right side. If I had to pick out a hiccup from the bunch, it would be that Samsung's heavily saturated red and green color profile is back with a vengeance. I know it was a sunny day, but the caboose that sits in the park in my hometown hasn't been that red for a few years, nor is the grass usually quite so lively at this point in the spring. Also, for being a mostly digital crop, the shot of the blue crab holds pretty solid detail. Focus Enhancer Portrait Mode Portrait Mode Moving on, Samsung's dedicated portrait mode is just as reliable as its natural bokeh, if a bit sharper. I like that it was able to pick out the entire lion sculpture against the white fence, as I've had other experiences where a phone will isolate the lion's head and then call it a day. 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I've started to find more and more uses for things like Photo Assist and its generative edits, and I'm glad that Drawing Assist finally feels more like an image generator than the original Portrait Studio. Samsung's Call Assist and Chat Assist are pretty good, too, now that they have built-in translation features that make it easier to tolerate my younger brother when he busts out one of the many languages he studied in college. I'm not sold on everything yet — you won't find me using Writing Assist to punch up paragraphs when I already wordsmith for a living, but who knows, even that might change over the impressive seven years of updates that the Edge is due. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review verdict: Who's buying this? Ryan Haines / Android Authority When I started this review, I wondered which side of the innovation line the Galaxy S25 Edge would fall on. 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I have to pull the big 6.7-inch slab out of my pocket, fire up its entire display, and hope that I'm done before the battery starts to tick away too quickly. And, if I'm doing all that, I may as well do it on the Galaxy S25 Plus itself since the battery life is better, the charging is faster, and the cameras are more flexible thanks to the 10MP telephoto sensor. On top of it all, the Galaxy S25 Plus is cheaper — and if you don't care about the latest chip, the very similar Galaxy S24 Plus is likely available for even less on sale. Honestly, for the money, I think I'd even take Samsung's smaller Galaxy S25 ($809.99 at Amazon) over the Edge. No, that phone might not be as technically impressive — if we're still going to give being thin that much credit — but it once again comes out ahead on battery life and camera flexibility. It's also quite a bit cheaper than the Edge, and I think its more traditional cooling setup gives me hope that it'll age better than the twice-as-bright, half-as-long Edge might. If you want to spend a little more money, Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra ($1299.99 at Amazon) is probably its best flagship phone to date, even though the design remains a bit played out. It has all of the camera flexibility that the Edge lacks, and the S Pen is a go-to for power users, even if it's been simplified to little more than a basic stylus. Looking outside the Samsung bubble, I think most of the Edge's rivals offer better bang for about the same number of bucks, too. Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL ($899 at Amazon) and Apple's iPhone 16 Pro ($999 at Amazon) or Pro Max ($1199 at Amazon) won't be as thin or as light, and they'll offer differing slates of AI-powered features, but they have many of the same strengths as the other Galaxy S25 options. In Google's case, we continue to fall in love with its clever camera tricks, prompt software updates, and the fact that its hardware has improved by leaps and bounds over the previous generation. The Pro Pixels also charge faster than the Galaxy S25 Edge and have bigger batteries, so even though the Tensor G4 still tends to run warm, it still manages to counteract most of my battery anxiety. Thin phone obsession isn't going anywhere, but I hope the next generation doesn't require quite so many crucial sacrifices. I also want to throw the OnePlus 13 ($899.99 at OnePlus) out as a competitor. Where Samsung decided to make cuts to make its Galaxy S25 Edge as slim as possible, OnePlus chose to pack its latest flagship with more and more. It has sharper, more flexible cameras that zoom to 120x, and the Hasselblad color profile is among my favorites. OnePlus earns points for its massive 6,000mAh battery and 80W wired charging, too, along with 50W wireless charging and a cool new magnetic charger that works with compatible cases. It's not quite the same as Qi2, but it's a step in the right direction. Despite my vain hopes that the Edge will be a one-off, it's pretty clear the thin phone obsession isn't going anywhere. With the long-rumored iPhone 17 Air on the way and various concepts in the works at other Android OEMs, the S25 Edge is the dawn of a new form factor for larger display smartphones (we've seen plenty of thin phones before, after all). I just hope the next generation doesn't require quite so many crucial sacrifices for the sake of the undeniable wow factor. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Incredibly slim design • Impressively lightweight • Great materials MSRP: $1,099.99 Ultra-thin. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S device ever but still packs a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and a 200MP main camera. See price at AmazonSee price at Samsung Positives Incredibly slim design Incredibly slim design Impressively lightweight Impressively lightweight Great materials Great materials Improved One UI experience Improved One UI experience Solid primary cameras Cons Poor thermals Poor thermals Mediocre battery life Mediocre battery life No telephoto camera No telephoto camera Slow wired charging
