Move over Samsung — Huawei reportedly working on a triple-screen foldable phone

Foldable phones have been in existence for nearly ten years. Currently, smartphone manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of this technology.

When the first foldable phone arrived in 2018, it was reminiscent of futuristic gadgets from sci-fi movies. Despite seven years passing since its debut, smartphone manufacturers continue to face challenges in reducing screen creases and creating slimmer devices.

Despite this, DigitalChatStation, a well-known Chinese leaker, has revealed some new information. According to their post on Weibo, they have witnessed a one-of-a-kind folding phone with three screens and hinges that can fold both inward and outward.

Despite still being in the prototype phase, reports claim that the phone will feature a large 10-inch display. According to the leaker, this device will not have a noticeable “screen crease”despite its intricate design, potentially setting it apart from other brands on the market.

Although the brand experimenting with this new form factor was not revealed by DigitalChatStation, the claim was corroborated by another tipster, IceUniverse.

Huawei will release the world’s first three-fold mobile phone, and there will be no competitors for a long time after the release, because Samsung, the only competitor, is still struggling to study how to make ordinary folding machines thinner. It is an indisputable fact that…

— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) July 8, 2024

IceUniverse reports that Huawei is preparing to release this phone, which would be the first in the world to feature a triple-fold design if it is indeed launched.

It is worth noting that the typical foldable phones have a single hinge that enables the screen to fold in half. This design is effective for both vertically folding screens, such as the Galaxy Z Flip or Motorola Razr Plus, and horizontally folding screens, like those found on the Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel Fold.

Nevertheless, it appears that Huawei is developing a concept with two horizontal hinges that will allow for the screen to collapse both inward and outward.

Huawei Mate XS 2

While this isn’t the first instance of devices with multiple folding points being mentioned, all previous examples have only been in the conceptual stage. This is due to the technological difficulty of handling foldable screens and multiple hinges.

In 2019, Xiaomi unveiled a prototype of a dual-outward folding design, but it never made it to production. There are also rumors that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone with a wrap-around display. It remains to be seen which company will be the first to successfully develop a practical design and bring it to market.