Samsung Electronics Co. will unveil its highly-anticipated trifold smartphone when world leaders and global dignitaries gather at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea later this month.

It will be the company’s first device with two hinges — allowing it to work as either a conventional smartphone or a significantly larger tablet when fully unfurled — and will be displayed at an exhibition of cutting-edge Korean technology on the sidelines of the multilateral summit, according to a person familiar with the matter.

For Samsung, the Gyeongju-hosted APEC event will provide a global spotlight for a product it hopes will burnish its reputation as an engineering pioneer. Alongside Huawei Technologies Co., Samsung has led the move to develop foldable phones, and Huawei introduced the world’s first trifold device in China last year. The Korean company now has the opportunity to take the form factor global.

Attendees at this month’s event likely won’t be allowed to touch the new device, as it’s expected to be displayed under glass, the person said, asking not to be named as the plan isn’t public. The full commercial launch of the trifold phone is expected to follow later this year.

The foldable market has evolved since Samsung pioneered the segment in 2019. The niche market is now a competitive space, with every Chinese phone maker fighting for a share. Samsung’s own seventh-generation book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, launched in July and has proven successful with consumers due to its thinner and lighter design. Looking ahead, the competition is set to intensify as Apple Inc. plans to introduce its first folding iPhone next year.

Source: Bloomberg
--Agencies