Samsung's "Dual-Device" Strategy: Can a Tri-Foldable Phone and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Shake Up the Market?

Samsung's "Dual-Device" Strategy: Can a Tri-Foldable Phone and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Shake Up the Market?Samsung's recently revealed "dual-device" strategy, spearheaded by a tri-foldable phone and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, showcases distinct approaches to the foldable and flagship markets. The tri-foldable phone targets the high-end segment with radical screen and hinge innovations, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra cautiously consolidates its position in the mainstream flagship market through battery upgrades and other refinements

Samsung's "Dual-Device" Strategy: Can a Tri-Foldable Phone and the Galaxy S26 Ultra Shake Up the Market?

Samsung's recently revealed "dual-device" strategy, spearheaded by a tri-foldable phone and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, showcases distinct approaches to the foldable and flagship markets. The tri-foldable phone targets the high-end segment with radical screen and hinge innovations, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra cautiously consolidates its position in the mainstream flagship market through battery upgrades and other refinements. This strategy reflects Samsung's emphasis on technological maturity and its pursuit of optimal user experience. However, Samsung's performance in the domestic Chinese market remains sluggish, hampered by high pricing, a lack of localized selling points, and frequent, significant price drops on new models. This article will delve into leaked information about these two new devices, explore their market prospects, and analyze whether Samsung can use this "dual-device" strategy to disrupt the market landscape.

Samsung's First Tri-Foldable Phone: The Ultimate Pursuit of Screen and Hinge Perfection

Following Huawei's release of a tri-foldable phone, Samsung has finally offered its own answer. According to market leaks, this tri-foldable phone features a groundbreaking hinge design. Its opening and closing sound is noticeably different from existing foldable devices, suggesting that Samsung has significantly improved durability through refined mechanical structure optimization.

The screen also showcases Samsung's radical innovation. The inner screen uses a 10-inch flexible glass display, thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold7. The tested brightness is approximately 1900 nits, but Samsung may advertise a peak brightness of 2600 nits to match the outer screen. The 6.49-inch outer screen has a similar bezel size to the Z Fold7, boasts a peak brightness of 2600 nits, and supports adaptive refresh rate and ProScaler technology. The combination of high brightness and adaptive technology will significantly improve outdoor visibility and energy efficiency, further solidifying Samsung's leading position in the foldable phone market.

Notably, the charging speed of this tri-foldable phone has also been improved. While the battery capacity remains unclear, the charging power has increased from 23W during testing to 25W. This relatively conservative increase is likely due to space constraints within the device's thickness and folding structure. However, this also reflects Samsung's cautious approach to charging technology, prioritizing user experience over blindly pursuing higher numerical values. While more specifications remain undisclosed, given its high-end positioning, a flagship chip, high resolution, high refresh rate, and excellent camera specifications are expected.

Galaxy S26 Ultra: A 5500mAh Large Battery and the Trade-off with Under-Display Camera Technology

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, the latest iteration of Samsung's flagship series, boasts a significant battery capacity upgrade. While rumors suggested a 7000mAh battery, the latest test data reveals a 5500mAh capacity. Although not reaching expectations, this is a 10% increase compared to the S25 Ultra's 5000mAh, a significant advantage for users seeking long battery life.

This battery upgrade is not merely an increase in capacity but is closely related to Samsung's exploration of next-generation silicon-carbon battery technology. This technology promises to significantly improve battery energy density, allowing for a larger battery capacity within the limited space of the device. Furthermore, Samsung has optimized its One UI system, adjusting background process management to further extend actual battery life, mirroring Apple's iOS optimization strategy.

However, Samsung has made a noteworthy strategic choice with the Galaxy S26 Ultra abandoning under-display camera technology. Although considered the ultimate solution for full-screen displays, Samsung has stated that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will not adopt this technology for the next 2-3 years. This is because current under-display camera technology suffers from reduced resolution and unstable image quality, and Samsung is unwilling to compromise on selfie experience, opting to retain a traditional camera design.

This decision demonstrates Samsung's cautious consideration of technological maturity and user experience. Samsung prefers to implement technologies only when they are sufficiently mature and deliver a satisfactory user experience, rather than blindly following trends and sacrificing user experience for the sake of perceived "innovation."

Samsung's Accelerated New Product Release Cycle and Future Outlook

It's noteworthy that news of the S26 series emerged shortly after the release of the S25 series. This indicates an acceleration in Samsung's new product release cycle, possibly related to strategic adjustments within the competitive market. A faster iteration speed allows Samsung to respond more quickly to market demands and promptly launch flagship models equipped with the latest technologies.

In the future, with further breakthroughs in silicon-carbon batteries, under-display cameras, and other technologies, Samsung is poised to once again lead the industry in foldable form factors and flagship phone features. This will significantly enhance Samsung's market competitiveness and lay the foundation for securing a larger share of the high-end market.

Samsung's "Dual-Device" Strategy: Potential for Disruption and Challenges

Samsung's tri-foldable phone targets the high-end market, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra consolidates its mainstream flagship position. The two models have different focuses, forming Samsung's "dual-device" strategy. The screen and hinge innovations of the tri-foldable phone and the battery upgrade of the Galaxy S26 Ultra reflect Samsung's technological prowess. However, whether Samsung can successfully disrupt the market with this strategy still faces numerous challenges.

Firstly, Samsung's high pricing strategy faces significant resistance in the domestic Chinese market. Many consumers believe that choosing a cost-effective domestic high-end flagship is preferable to buying a high-priced Samsung phone. Secondly, Samsung's localization efforts are insufficient, lacking unique selling points that appeal to Chinese consumers. Furthermore, frequent and significant price drops on Samsung's new models create consumer wait-and-see attitudes, fostering a "wait-and-see" mentality, which is detrimental to brand image maintenance.

In conclusion, the success of Samsung's "dual-device" strategy depends not only on its technological innovation and user experience but also on its ability to effectively address market competition and changing consumer needs. In the future, Samsung needs to make more proactive adjustments in pricing strategies, localization strategies, and brand image building to better enhance its market competitiveness and ultimately achieve its goal of disrupting the market landscape.

While Samsung possesses strong technological innovation capabilities, its success in disrupting the market ultimately hinges on its ability to effectively translate technological advantages into market advantages. This requires Samsung to make more comprehensive adjustments and improvements in product strategy, marketing, and brand building.