Samsung's vision for future technology would be the generation of foldable smartphones. A recent patent application shows that Samsung has plans for future phone-design trials. The purported patent application gives us an idea of the company's upcoming plans for a foldable smartphone. The South Korean giant tech latest patent shows renderings of a phone that folds in half down its middle.
The Verge reported that although the South Korean manufacturer may have hesitations about bendable phones after recent Galaxy Note 7s' flop, report suggests that Samsung filed a patent with the Korean Intellectual Property Office for a foldable smartphone during the first quarter of the year. The application was said to be accordingly picked up by Dutch website Galaxy Club.
According to International Business Times UK, the document shows a thin Samsung device with a screen that bends and folds like a flip phone. The said device is described as something that can be "folded or unfolded semi automatically;" and has been referred as "secondary" display, which is supposed to activate when you fold the device, as described in The Verge.
The patent seconded rumors that the tech giant has plans to ship smartphones and tablets with bendable OLED screens. CNet reports says that the company is expected to release a bendable smartphone by next year. It is not the first instance that Samsung has experimented with flexible screens; but this time, reports suggest that Samsung also wants to build a phone that users can repeatedly bend or even fold.
Some critics have already challenged the technical hurdles of having a bendable and foldable phone. According to them, not only does the screen itself must move without breaking, but also the technical components inside has to be unbreakable as well. They are likewise interested if there will also be a production of bendable battery, if any.
The bendable screen trend has been fast evolving ever since the bendable "wrist phone". Lenovo also showcased their prototype and demo of their very own bendable phone and tablet during their Tech World 2016 event, as further explained by The Verge. Moreover, Apple has been also reported to have its latest bendable phone patent according to Tech Times.
