Samsung tri-fold phone could be limited to 25W charging — but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing

We’ve already heard plenty of rumors about Samsung bringing a tri-fold smartphone into the world in the very near future — possibly named Galaxy G Fold. Unfortunately the latest rumors suggests a disappointing lack of progress for the phone. Because it might be stuck with the same charging speed as the regular Galaxy S25.

According to leaker @PandaFlashPro, the Samsung tri-fold is currently rocking a charging speed between 23 and 24W — which they claim will probably be marketed as 25W charging.

This is the same charging speed as both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy S25. But for a phone of this caliber (and expected price tag), I had hoped Samsung would push up the maximum charging speed to match the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus.

Considering the mid-range Galaxy A56 now supports 45W charging, this is disappointingly low. Though, I’ll admit, I’m not all that surprised.

PandaFlashPro later claimed that the tri-fold will skip out on under-display cameras, and opt for a traditional hole-punch design instead. And in contrast to the charging speed — considering the weak performance of those cameras — I think that’s definitely for the best.

Samsung’s got a history of weak charging speeds

While Samsung loves to push the limits of its hardware, especially premium phones, charging speed has never been one of its strong suits. Phones seem to have been stuck at 25W or 45W for the past several years, and it’s only recently that 45W speeds have been available.

Samsung’s biggest rivals, Google and Apple, have also languished at lower speeds. The iPhone 16 Pro Max only got a 45W upgrade last year, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL can only reach 37W.

But you also have brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi and Huawei which can offer speeds in triple digits. Foldable models generally don’t reach those same heights, but even 67W charging more than double the speed of a 25W charger.

Then again I’m not entirely convinced this is such a bad thing. Admittedly having 25W charging speed on an ultra-premium phone like the G Fold is rather irritating, but there could be a solid reason for it.

Fast charging has its drawbacks too

You have to remember that faster charging often generates more heat. If a phone doesn’t have the cooling systems in place to dissipate that heart, it can damage the phone.

So you could make the case for certain phones to not offer super fast charging. Without the necessary cooling chambers and tech inside, it could end up doing more harem than good.

Considering foldable phones emphasize the design and form factor, it would make sense for them to have more rudimentary cooling compared to a non-folding Galaxy S phone. Especially when you remember the G Fold will be the first Samsung phone of its kind.

And if the battery life is as good as other recent Samsung phones, and other phones with the best battery life, fast charging may not be all that necessary. We won’t know for sure until Samsung actually announces the phone — which we’re expecting to happen later this year.

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