It seems folding phones with a single hinge are becoming old news, and devices with two hinges — referred to as tri-fold — are the next big thing in mobile. The latest brand to be attached to a tri-fold phone is Xiaomi, following a rumor spread online that it’s working on such a device.
It’s worth pointing out at this stage the rumor is not supported by a confirmed source, and comes from a post made to the Chinese social network Weibo. The post, from an anonymous account that regularly shares Xiaomi information and news in China, when translated simply states Xiaomi is working on a tri-fold device, and that it may signal a growing trend.
It would not be a surprise if Xiaomi is working on a tri-fold smartphone, as it’s very familiar with the current technology. The company has already released several big-screen folding smartphones including the Mix Fold 4, and also launched its first compact foldable — the Mix Flip — in China recently. Despite being up to date with current tech, it will also not want to fall behind the competition should tri-fold phones suddenly arrive. Because rather than this rumor only hinting at a growing trend, it seems the trend is already here.
Rumors and news about tri-fold smartphones have spread rapidly over the past year. Huawei has been linked to a tri-fold smartphone repeatedly over the past few months, and the company has said the production version will be shown before the end of the year. Tecno, another brand with experience making folding smartphones today, has revealed its own tri-fold concept called the Phantom Ultimate 2, but has not said when or if it will make it into production. Before this, TCL and Samsung have also shown concept versions of tri-fold mobile devices to the public.
Xiaomi joining the party sounds likely, and it will be keen to impress should several of the inevitably expensive smartphones suddenly arrive on the scene this year. Huawei may even use its tri-fold phone to steal some of Apple’s thunder in China and reveal it around the same time as the iPhone 16 series. Considering Apple is almost certain to reveal the new iPhone range on September 9, it will need to hurry up. However, Apple is not expected to reveal a folding phone of any type in the very near future.
