Samsung’s 2027 Plan Doubles Foldables as Its Lead Slips

Samsung is preparing eight flagship phones for 2027, split evenly between traditional Galaxy S handsets and folding Galaxy Z devices, according to a new industry report out of South Korea. The plan, described internally as “4+4,” would double Samsung’s foldable lineup from three devices to four and bring back the triple folding Galaxy Z TriFold a little over a year after it first went on sale.

Reports of cost overruns already shadow the TriFold’s successor. Days before the 4+4 leak surfaced, Counterpoint Research told clients that Samsung’s grip on the foldable category it built is projected to loosen further in 2026, before the bigger 2027 lineup even ships.

Samsung’s 2027 Roadmap Splits Into Four and Four

The Korean outlet ETNews reported the “4+4” plan this week, describing four conventional Galaxy S27 phones arriving in the first half of 2027 and four Galaxy Z foldables following in the second half. SamMobile, 9to5Google, Notebookcheck and Sammy Fans have each corroborated the report independently, all citing the same Korean industry sourcing.

The Galaxy S side would grow by one model for the first time in years. Alongside the Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27+ and Galaxy S27 Ultra, Samsung would add a Galaxy S27 Pro that slots below the Ultra with a smaller display but sharper specs than the base models.

• Galaxy S27 – the standard model opening the first half of 2027
• Galaxy S27+ – the mid-tier flagship with a larger screen
• Galaxy S27 Pro – a new tier below the Ultra, smaller display, sharper specs than the base phones
• Galaxy S27 Ultra – the top-tier camera and performance flagship
• Galaxy Z Flip9 – the compact clamshell foldable opening the second half of the year
• Galaxy Z Fold9 – the standard book-style foldable
• Galaxy Z Fold9 Ultra – the premium book-style foldable
• Galaxy Z TriFold 2 – the triple folding successor, reportedly still in early development

That would be a full doubling of Samsung’s recent pace. Two new foldables a year was the norm for a while. It became three in 2026 when the Galaxy Z Fold8 series added a standalone Fold8 alongside the Fold8 Ultra and Flip8. Four would set a new high.

A Showcase Phone That Sold Out in Minutes

Samsung revealed the original Galaxy Z TriFold on December 1, 2025, ending years of rumors about a folding phone built around two hinges instead of one. It reached Korea on December 12, then China, Taiwan, Singapore and the UAE shortly after. The US followed on January 30, 2026, priced at $2,899.

The specs matched a flagship: a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, 16GB of RAM, a 5,600 mAh battery and a 200-megapixel main camera. Unfolded, the display stretched to 10 inches across three panels. Folded, it shrank to a 6.5-inch outer screen.

Reviewers called it an engineering showcase Samsung built in limited numbers, a device meant to prove a point rather than sell at scale. It still sold out within minutes, and it remained only the second tri-fold phone ever put up for sale, after Huawei’s Mate XT.

Are Cost Overruns Delaying the TriFold’s Sequel?

Yes, according to a report from roughly two weeks before the 4+4 leak. South Korean leaker Lanzuk, posting under the handle yeux1122 on Naver, said the Galaxy Z TriFold 2 is in active development, including a new hinge system, but that cost issues have made a schedule slip highly likely.

That report did not name a new date. It also did not stop Samsung from apparently locking the TriFold 2 into the second half of 2027 in the newer 4+4 plan, alongside a Galaxy Z Fold9 series that keeps its book-style design close to the current Fold8.

• Confirmed by multiple outlets: ETNews’ 4+4 report, splitting four Galaxy S27 phones and four Galaxy Z foldables across 2027, independently repeated by SamMobile, 9to5Google, Notebookcheck and Sammy Fans.
• Confirmed by Samsung already: the original Galaxy Z TriFold’s specs, pricing and limited-run launch across six markets in late 2025 and early 2026.

• Unconfirmed: pricing, exact names and camera specs for any 2027 device, including the TriFold 2.
• Unconfirmed: whether the cost issues reported in mid-2026 will actually push the TriFold 2 past its slot in the second half of 2027.

Samsung has not commented on any part of the 4+4 plan.

Samsung’s Foldable Lead Keeps Narrowing

Global foldable phone shipments hit 19.6 million units in 2025 and are projected to grow 21% year over year in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest foldable smartphone forecast. Samsung is still expected to lead the category in 2026, but with a projected 32% share, down from 40% in 2025.

Apple’s arrival looks like the biggest swing factor. Liz Lee, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, called 2026 a turning point for the category.

Apple’s entry is expected to lift overall consumer awareness and raise the benchmark for premium foldables, but Samsung still has a clear advantage in product maturity, channel reach and foldable user experience.

Lee made the comment in Counterpoint’s July forecast note on the foldable market.

Huawei’s Head Start Still Shows in the Numbers

Huawei beat Samsung to the tri-fold format by more than a year. Its Mate XT launched in China in September 2024, and reservations reached 3 million within two days of pre-orders opening, according to the South China Morning Post. Scalpers listed units for roughly 20,000 yuan (about $2,821) above retail.

By April 2025, the Mate XT had crossed 400,000 units sold globally, an unusually high figure for a phone priced between 19,999 and 23,999 yuan, or roughly $2,720 to $3,260. Huawei expanded sales beyond China in February 2025, into Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Samsung was more than a year behind. Huawei already answered the question of whether buyers want a phone that folds twice. Samsung’s bet is that it can out-engineer that answer at a larger scale in 2027.

Where the S27 Lineup Borrows From Cupertino

The new Galaxy S27 Pro tier echoes Apple’s own Pro naming, and Notebookcheck’s report on the leak suggested the timing is not accidental. Apple’s iPhone turns 20 in 2027, counting from its original 2007 launch, and Samsung appears to be lining up its biggest-ever single-year phone count to meet that anniversary head-on.

Samsung’s design team, fresh off reshaping the Z Fold8 into a passport-like silhouette, would need to stretch that same design language across a bigger family in 2027 without the Fold9 line losing its identity.

The phone lineup is only part of Samsung’s wider push beyond handsets. The company launched the Galaxy XR headset and the original Z TriFold last year, and it just introduced AI powered smart glasses aimed at Meta’s Ray-Ban lineup, according to SamMobile. Four foldables in one year would be Samsung’s clearest signal yet that folding hardware carries its answer to Apple’s scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Could Samsung release a rollable phone before the TriFold 2?

Possibly. The same report that flagged cost issues on the Galaxy Z TriFold 2 also suggested a rollable Samsung phone, one that extends its screen rather than folding it, could reach shelves before the TriFold’s sequel does. Samsung has not confirmed a rollable device.

Which markets got the original Galaxy Z TriFold?

Samsung launched it in Korea on December 12, 2025, followed by China, Taiwan, Singapore and the UAE, then the US on January 30, 2026, at $2,899. Availability stayed limited in every market it reached.

Has Huawei’s tri-fold sold outside China?

Yes. Huawei took the Mate XT into Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UAE starting in February 2025, though the global version shipped in only one memory and storage configuration.

How does the TriFold’s price compare with Huawei’s Mate XT?

Samsung priced the Galaxy Z TriFold at $2,899 in the US. Huawei’s Mate XT ran from 19,999 to 23,999 yuan in China, or roughly $2,720 to $3,260, before grey-market scalpers pushed resale prices well above either figure.