Samsung's rumored tri-fold phone may use a new kind of battery

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

Samsung has teased the tri-folding Galaxy G Fold for years, but even its teases and rumors have yet to paint a full picture of the new folding form factor.

The latest rumor comes from X user PandaFlashPro, who claims to reveal what kind of battery the folding phone might use, and it's different from any battery Samsung has used before.

What is a silicon-carbon battery?

A screenshot of Honor's MWC 2023 presentation, showing how its new silicon-carbon battery is 12.8% more energy dense than a graphite battery — (Image credit: Honor/YouTube)

Silicon-carbon batteries are an evolution of the current standard Li-Ion batteries. The big difference is that these batteries use a silicon anode instead of a graphite one.

What this means for the battery is that it's supposed to have a higher density, meaning it can hold more energy in a similar amount of space. As an example, OnePlus' "glacier battery," which is silicon-carbon, manages to squeeze a 6,100 mAh battery cell into the same amount of space that a Li-ion 5,000 mAh cell takes up.

Chinese phone maker Honor introduced the silicon-carbon battery during MWC 2023, and likely first put it into the Magic5 Pro.

It's been a couple of years, but the tech hasn't taken off outside of China. However, Samsung's rival Apple is reportedly exploring silicon-carbon for its phones this year.

Thinness above all else

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 — (Image credit: Pigtou/xleaks)

Samsung has been relentless in its attempts to make thinner and thinner devices.

In a reply to a comment on their post, PandaFlash said that the battery capacity of the tri-fold phone would be "under 5,000 mAh." So, it seems that Samsung is prioritizing thinness over capacity.

With the improved capacity in smaller spaces, a silicon-carbon battery might be necessary to get that slim profile Samsung is hunting for. It also might help the company focus on other areas of the foldable, including durability.

The much-rumored Samsung Galaxy G Fold might come out this summer. If it does, it will likely get announced at the summer Galaxy Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 and Samsung's smart wearables.

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Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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