This unreleased Galaxy Z TriFold prototype was probably meant to be a secret

The recently-launched Galaxy Z TriFold is Samsung’s slimmest phone to date. At its thinnest point, the TriFold measures just 3.9mm (0.15 inches), and trying to achieve this has presumably also forced Samsung to cut out excessive features. The additional fold on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has allowed Samsung to increase the battery size on the TriFold while retaining the same camera system. However, Samsung, at some point, could have been evaluating another camera system — with four rear cameras instead of the three actually present on the foldable.

This assumption stems from images shared by a Samsung executive that highlight the Galaxy Z TriFold’s prowess. However, the phone they appear to be using is not THE TriFold but rather what seems to be a pre-production prototype—with an interesting twist.

In a LinkedIn post (via SamMobile) by Omar Saheb, vice president of marketing & e-commerce at Samsung Electronics MENA (Middle East and North Africa), we see a trifold with four rear cameras. This suggests the device in the image may either be a dummy or a prototype. Unfortunately, the post doesn’t shed light on whether it is one, and no comments address it either.

Another aspect contributing to the assumption is the plain back, which, on the actual production model, is expected to be a “ceramic-glass fiber-reinforced polymer back panel,” according to Samsung’s announcement. In these images, it appears plain, though it could be a protective film, lending to the illusion.

The origin of this prototype, dummy, or could-have-been version of the Galaxy Z TriFold remains unclear, but it’s interesting to see a company executive go on record to showcase it. We know this isn’t one of the final units because, long before the Galaxy Z TriFold’s design was showcased, we exclusively reported on the form factor and how it might fold, using imagery from the One UI source code. Even in that leak, the TriFold featured three cameras, and not four.

Since the TriFold has been a running project for a long time, the chance of this being a next-generation TriFold with four cameras is actually very slim.

If you’re planning to own one, know that the production-ready Galaxy Z TriFold comes with three rear cameras, identical to those on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That also includes a 200MP primary sensor. While the phone is expected to be available in Samsung’s homeland, South Korea, sometime later this month, it is also set to come to the US early next year, and expecting for it to arrive alongside the Galaxy S26 series would be reasonable.