- More firmware testing for the tri-fold is now underway
- The model number points to an unlocked US variant
- We might see the phone revealed in full on December 5th
It seems like a long, long time ago that Samsung gave us the first official tease of its upcoming triple phone – but in fact it was only in January of this year. Now, a new leak suggests its launch is finally imminent, while also strongly hinting at US availability.
SamMobile has discovered that firmware testing for a Samsung phone with model number SM-F968U1 is now underway. That number might not mean much to you, but if you know your Samsung, it points to an unlocked model of a US variant.
It follows testing of the firmware for model SM-F968U, which is believed to be the carrier-locked version arriving in the US soon. It’s based on the way Samsung has ordered its model numbers in the past.
The team at SamMobile notes that this is a bit later than would be expected for firmware testing – but it does suggest that US Samsung fans will be able to purchase the handset. There has been some debate about how widely available the phone would be.
What we think we know so far
Since the first official tease back in January, there have been plenty of leaks about what we can expect from this foldable with an extra fold. It will apparently fold inwards and have a separate outer screen, unlike the Huawei Mate XT.
Some advanced software multitasking features are expected to take advantage of the extra-large screen – which is rumored to measure 10 inches, corner-to-corner, when properly opened (as we saw in a brief official appearance).
Based on previous leaks, it looks like the phone will bring support for NFC payments, wireless charging and reverse charging. We also believe it will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from Qualcomm.
Additional leaks have pointed to a large 5,600 mAh battery and a launch date of Friday, December 5. Given that Samsung has promised the phone will be out by the end of the year, it could arrive anytime between now and 2026.
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