Samsung is no stranger to foldable phones, with devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 just around the corner. Now a newly discovered patent suggests Samsung’s plans for foldables go beyond what we initially expected. A post at SamMobile points to a display that folds not two, not three, but four times via three separate hinges. This would allow it to expand to a massive size, perhaps as large as most tablets.
It’s hard to state anything definitively from just a patent, but the included diagram gives us an idea of what the final product might look like. From initial impressions, it would be on the bulkier side of things. The central hinge is the largest of the three, and the outer panels would fold inward twice — once onto themselves, and again onto the two inner halves to an end result roughly the dimensions of a modern phone, although several times thicker.
An additional diagram shows the final result. While it might be a matter of scale in the blueprint, there’s no doubt this device would likely be thicker than any phone in Samsung’s existing lineup.
It isn’t clear how the screen configuration for this device would work. Unfolded, it would result in a tablet-style display, but it raises the question: would there be inner displays if the device was only half-folded? Additional displays — not to mention the engineering required for a phone like this — makes us hesitant to guess at any sort of potential price point, but it would likely be a premium phone.
Note that all of this is speculation. Samsung has made no official statements regarding the existence of such a device nor any indication of plans to pursue it, but the patent is an interesting development in what feels like a foldable arms race.
If Samsung does release a product like this, it would be one of the first of its kind — and could eliminate the tablet market entirely if done correctly. It has a wide range of potential for productivity-focused applications, with different apps running on different sides of the display, as well as for streaming content.
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it’s a…
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