Samsung has obtained a patent for a smartphone with an extendable, foldable screen that stretches upward. Here’s how it works
A new patent from Samsung has fans of foldable, extendable and generally flexible screen smartphones dreaming. The patent is very recent: it was filed on August 29, 2019 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
In this patent, a device with a “cascading” screen is described, which extends vertically via a slider. Pulling the top edge of the device upward increases the screen by a few inches. When closed, however, the screen rolls up on a tree positioned inside the phone, at the bottom. This mechanism is evident from the patent, but will not be visible to the user. Although some people think that Samsung wants to use this technology in the next Galaxy S11 (especially in the Plus model, to distinguish it more from the regular one), technically this is a very unlikely hypothesis.
Hidden Cameras
Another thing that is not seen in this hypothetical extendable smartphone described in Samsung’s patent is the rear camera department. It consists of three lenses and is hidden when the screen is closed, while it comes out when we operate the slider to stretch the screen. This solution protects the cameras, on the one hand, but makes it cumbersome to take pictures “on the fly”, on the other. The front camera, on the other hand, is always in sight both with the screen fully open and closed.
Will this be the Galaxy S11+?
Some already fantasize about a possible Samsung Galaxy S11+ with extendable screen, but it is very unlikely that the South Korean company will adopt this patent anytime soon for a product intended for the general public. The timing, in fact, does not allow it and the recent experience (negative) of the launch of the Galaxy Fold teaches that, when it comes to displays with innovative technologies, you should not be in a hurry. Recently, then, has taken shape the hypothesis that Samsung wants to standardize the range Galaxy S with that Note, leaving room for the Galaxy Fold. Two flexible display technologies on the market at the same time, however, could cannibalize each other. To date, in fact, there is not yet a real market for foldable smartphones and, consequently, the devices with these technologies that will be sold will be very few. Also because of the exorbitant prices.