Samsung’s tri-fold foldable may launch with embarrassingly slow charging

Samsung’s upcoming tri-fold phone might break new ground in terms of form factor, but not in terms of charging speeds. According to a new rumor, this ultra-premium foldable might launch in 2020 with the charging wattage you’d expect from a midrange phone.

Let’s be honest: Samsung isn’t known for fast charging. While brands like Xiaomi and OnePlus are flirting with 100W+ speeds, Samsung has stubbornly capped its flagships at 45W. And even that’s only on select models. Now, if tipster PandaFlash on X is right, the upcoming tri-fold might not even get that far.

The current rumor is that it will have charging speeds between 23W and 24W—likely to be marketed as 25W. That would make it 44% slower than the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s peak rate and slower than most budget Android phones.

What makes it worse is that this will almost certainly be Samsung’s most expensive phone to date. The tri-fold is expected to push the limits of design and pricing, likely competing with foldables like Huawei’s Mate XT. But when it comes to charging, it’s stuck in the past.

This may not reflect the final product. The rumored speeds are from internal testing, and Samsung could tweak things ahead of launch. But if history is anything to go by, don’t expect miracles. Samsung has long played it safe on charging tech, citing battery longevity and safety, but the tradeoff is painfully slow refuels.

So, unless something changes, the tri-fold might offer triple the screen but less than half the charging speed of its rivals.