Samsung Galaxy G Fold may not go on sale in the US — what we know

Samsung Tri Fold Foldable phone concept — (Image credit: Samsung)

We've all heard about the Samsung Galaxy G Fold, the new tri-fold phone, that's coming later this year. Details on the phone itself have been a little scarce, especially in terms of release details. But a new leak claims to shed some light on when the phone will arrive — and where.

According to Yogesh Brar, the Galaxy G Fold will launch in Q3 of this year, but will only be available in two markets, Like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold SE, the tri-fold will apparently only be available in South Korea and China.

Obviously that is not the news a lot of people wanted to hear. The fact the phone is expensive isn't a huge surprise — foldables are already pricey without the extra hinge. But there will be plenty of people upset at the fact they're not able to pick one of these new phones up in the U.S. or Europe.

Don't be too disappointed just yet

Samsung Tri-fold phone concept image — (Image credit: ET News)

Of course the Galaxy G Fold is a very niche device that probably isn't going to sell in huge numbers anyway. The price tag alone will be enough to put all but the most dedicated (or wealthy) foldable fans off the phone altogether.

But if the release of the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is anything to go by, fans may just have to be a little more patient.

The Z Fold SE never made it out of Asia, not officially anyway, but it is rumored to be the basis of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7.

So a lot of the same benefits coming to the Special Edition, like the 200MP camera and lightweight titanium hingeplate, will be available on the flagship model. Almost as though Samsung was using the Special Edition model to see if it could offer those things, without risking things going wrong on the flagship release.

I'm not saying that the Z Fold 8 will magically have a tri-fold design. But it's possible that Samsung wants to use the Galaxy G Fold as a trial run before offering a wider release of tri-fold phones. Both to ensure the design is sound, and up to scrutiny, and to see how well they'll sell.

That's just speculation, but it would certainly help avoid any embarrassing launches — like we saw with the original Galaxy Fold. But we'll have to wait and see what Samsung actually does, and whether the limited G Fold release actually goes smoothly or not.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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