Samsung has reportedly filed patents for 10 new foldable phone designs. These include smartphones with rollable, scrollable, and slidable displays. The patents are representative of Samsung’s vision for the future of foldable phones. Patently Apple was the first to report about these new patents published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Recently, 10 more patents were filed by Samsung, bringing the total to 20.
The Korean tech giant already dominates the foldable smartphone segment with its Fold and Flip series of smartphones. And these patents indicate that the brand is serious about taking its foldable game up a notch. Samsung may have plans to launch slideout foldable phones soon. The company showcased a multi-rollable phone prototype in May, adding further weight to its plans of launching a slideout-style phone. While patents don’t always translate into real products, they offer a peek behind the curtain of what could be coming in the future.
For these latest patents, there are a few things that stick out. One of the patents (seen above) shows a device with a standard smartphone-like body. However, one end extends to transform the device into a small tablet. It’s the same general idea of a handset like the Z Fold 4, but it achieves the phone/tablet hybrid with a different design.
Another patent reveals what this kind of rollable would look like from the backside (above). Here, we see that the back is separated into two sections, with the rollable display connecting them in the middle. It looks like it could introduce a whole assortment of durability concerns, but it’s still exciting to see Samsung toying with other form factors like this.
SamMobile recently revealed a concept design of Samsung’s purported rollable display phone in collaboration with Jermaine Smit, popularly known as Concept Creator. The concept provides us with a representation of what Samsung’s future rollable phone could look like. In the picture, we can see a phone with a display that wraps around the rear panel. There’s a thick bar on the right-hand side of the display that appears to hold the rear camera module. We assume that the display would extend horizontally like one of the TCL’s rollable display concepts.
Samsung is yet to announce any details of its upcoming slidable phones, and it’ll likely be a while before that changes. We’re expecting Samsung to continue its foldable family with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 later this year. However, the launch of a slideout handset appears to still be a ways off.
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Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
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