We know where we are with foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3: you open and close it like a book, and the screen adjusts accordingly. But what if the foldable … was also a roller bar?
This is the idea put forward in a new patent filed by Samsung (via 91mobiles), which shows a phone with a screen that opens out like a foldable but also extends like a rollable phone – something like the Oppo X 2021.
The “electronic device capable of folding and sliding” combines the two mechanisms in a rather thick-looking chassis, and it would be something of an engineering feat if Samsung had to handle this one.
Roll it, fold it
It seems that the screen of this device can be stretched and extended in one direction, and then the edge of the screen also folds to some extent. However, we do not see the fold go all the way across and close closed in the patent diagrams.
It suggests that this is a device that will help in certain situations where extra viewing space is required at a different angle: for example, watching movies or making video calls. It’s an exciting concept that we have not really seen so far.
As always with patents, however, this is no guarantee that a finished product will ever hit the market. Patents are a good indication of what manufacturers are thinking, but these plans do not always come true for all possible reasons.
Analysis: here they come rollables
Samsung has already teased the idea of scrollable screens on its devices, and if you have a good memory, you might remember that we saw a patent on a scrollable phone from Samsung way back in January. Is this the kind of technology we can expect to see in the Galaxy Z Fold 4?
Although some foldable phones have already appeared on the scene, they are by no means as prevalent as foldable. The LG Rollable was shown in prototype form, but never saw the light of day as an actual product, for example.
Hats off to TCL, which has put together a phone with a foldable and rolling display, much like the one outlined in this new patent from Samsung. Again, however, the device has not been put into mass production or put up for sale to consumers.
It is clear that the underlying mechanisms still require some work. As with foldable, rollables will gradually get better and more reliable over time, and then you can expect to see some of them arrive at once – giving you a phone you can put in your pocket but still expand to the size of A tablet.
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