Will 'Galaxy Z TriFold' be released... Samsung-Huawei TriFold Phone Face-off

Samsung Electronics and Huawei will engage in a face-off over foldable smartphones that fold twice, commonly known as TriFold phones, in the second half of this year. Samsung Electronics plans to launch its first TriFold phone, while Huawei is set to present a successor to the world's first TriFold phone, the 'Huawei Mate XT', released last year. 
According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 23rd, Samsung Electronics applied for trademark patents such as 'Galaxy Z TriFold' and 'Z TriFold' with the Patent Office on the 15th. This trademark application suggests that the product name has been virtually decided.
Samsung Electronics DX Division Head and Acting President Roh Tae-moon stated at a press conference after the Galaxy Unpacked event in New York, USA, on the 9th (local time) that "the goal is to release the TriFold phone within the year and it is expected to be launched before the end of the year." The release date of the Galaxy Z TriFold is mentioned to be in October. According to Chinese IT tipster Aibingzhou, Huawei is expected to unveil its TriFold phone in September, and Samsung Electronics in October.
According to information obtained by IT media Android Authority, Samsung Electronics' TriFold phone consists of three panels. In the case of the back, the left panel is equipped with a triple camera, and the central panel has a cover display and a front camera. While Huawei's 'Mate XT' folded like a screen, Samsung Electronics' product is expected to have the left and right panels fold inward. Samsung Display's 'Flex G' is exactly this form. 
Huawei is accelerating preparations for the 'Mate XT 2 (tentative name)'. The 'Mate XT 2' (model name: GRL-AL20) was recently certified in China. According to IT tipster Digital Chat Station, the 'Mate XT 2' is expected to support a newly developed Kirin 9020 processor, a new 50-megapixel main camera, an improved telephoto camera, and satellite communication. The 'Mate XT' had a launch price of 19,999 yuan (about 3.88 million KRW) for 256GB, so the successor is likely to be expensive as well. Samsung Electronics has the advantage of being able to ship more units than Huawei, but if it uses better components than Huawei, the price burden could be substantial. Samsung Electronics is likely to equip the TriFold phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, which already creates a difference in mobile application processors (AP). The ongoing thickness competition between Samsung Electronics and Chinese manufacturers is also expected to continue with the TriFold phone.

solidkjy@fnnews.com Koo Ja-yoon Reporter