Samsung’s foldable phone patent moves a big step beyond curved models

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Published 10 Nov 2016

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If there was a sleeper trend for mobile devices in 2016 it would have to be the notion of bendable mobile devices, it appears Samsung wants in on this trend. SamMobile recently came across a Samsung Korean-language patent showing a phone that folds in half. The Samsung-focused site believes these patent drawing could be evidence of the rumored Galaxy X smartphone.

samsungbendyphone

A patent drawing for Samsung’s bendable phone.

Samsung already has phones with curved screens, like the Galaxy S6 ge (pictured above). A fully bendable phone, however, is a big step forward. 

Based on the drawings, the phone is just a stard cy bar-style smartphone that can fold in half. en folded, the phone in the drawings looks like it has a hinge similar to the Microsoft Surface Book‘s. ether a real phone would actually have that design—or if it would even be practical to put a folded phone in your pocket—is far from clear.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a bendy Samsung phone. In ne, Bloomberg said Samsung planned two bendable phones for 2017. At least one of those phones was said to have the ability to fold in half.

The story behind the story: Regardless of what Samsung does, phones that bend (intentionally) are on their way. During the Consumer Electronics Show in nuary, showed off a flexible OD screen that could be rolled up. Analysts at Morgan Stanley predicted that these displays would l on hsets within two years.

lenovo cplus foldable phone lenovo world 2016

novo showed off a Cus foldable smartphone prototype at novo rld in ne, 2016. It can be held flat or worn as a cuff around your wrist.

Then in ne, we got a look at novo’s prototype Cus wrist-wrap phone, which looks like it came straight out of a Microsoft concept video. novo also showed a Folio tablet prototype that folded in half like a book.