I’ll let you in on a TechRadar secret – we all know that the term “tri-fold phone” doesn’t make much sense. As cool as it sounds, tri-fold phones like the Huawei Mate XT actually only fold twice, a fact we’ve been aware of since the very first rumors about these innovative new devices landed.
Luckily, it seems that we’re not the only ones who have noticed the disconnect between these next-generation folding phones and how they’re described. Before the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra were announced, a surprising moment at this year’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked presentation showed a tri-fold silhouette as part of Samsung’s 2025 roadmap.
Though the presentation made no mention of a “tri-fold Galaxy”, we were given a much more logical name for the new form factor – multi-fold devices.
As well as giving official weight to the dozens of rumors we’ve heard over the last few months, Samsung’s new name for the double-hinged folding form factor may finally put the debate over what exactly to call these new devices to rest.
The Huawei Mate XT is the world’s first mass-produced multi-fold phone, but it’s only available in China (Image credit: Future)
I must admit, I’m more of a fan of multi-fold than I am tri-fold, and somewhat surprised that it hadn’t caught on sooner. Multi-fold just has a ring to it – rich with potential and uncapped by a set number of hinges – though I can’t see a quad-folding phone on the horizon any time soon.
To be fair, it’s a fairly common occurrence in the tech world to find terms that don’t exactly line up with their original meaning – the iPhone 16, for instance, is actually the eighteenth mainline iPhone, while 4K (suggesting 4,000 pixels in at least one direction) generally refers to a resolution of 3840 x 2160.
That said, tri-fold was always a curious choice for how obviously incorrect it was. I’d been reminded many times by friends, colleagues, and TechRadar readers that the phones are actually tri-segmented, and had never really found solid grounds on which to disagree with them.
Samsung’s position in the industry as the go-to brand for folding phones means that its use of the term ‘multi-fold’ has a solid chance of catching on with other folding phone makers like OnePlus, Honor, and Xiaomi.
Multi-fold device, or multi-fold devices?
(Image credit: Samsung)
If you’ll forgive me for getting speculative, there’s something very interesting about the phrasing Samsung used while hinting at the possibility of an upcoming multi-fold phone.
The exact phrase used was “multi-fold devices”, and while this may have been purely grammatical, this pluralization has me thinking ahead.
There’s a certain confidence conveyed with the use of “devices” rather than simply “device” – it’s possible that Samsung is hoping to add a multi-fold phone to its Z Fold lineup, to be refreshed every year alongside the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6.
Of course, this would hinge (sorry) on the first multi-fold device selling well, which could be inhibited by a high price tag. The Huawei Mate XT, for example, costs the equivalent of $2,810 / £2,150 / AU$4,220 in its native China, and while Samsung’s wider reach and manufacturing capabilities might soften this a little, any multi-fold phone that makes it to release will still be a first-generation, cutting edge device – and that necessarily incurs a cost.
In any case, we’ve already got plenty to look forward to from Samsung in terms of confirmed devices. Pre-orders for the new Samsung phones are live now – check out our Samsung Galaxy S25 hands-on review, S25 Plus hands-on review, and S25 Ultra hands-on review for our first impressions.
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