On June 20, 2021, Samsung Electronics submitted a patent application for a foldable and sliding electronic device to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and officially announced it to the outside world on December 16, 2021. According to the 83-page document description, this concept mobile device can fix the position of the screen or can be used in smartphones, tablets and compact tablets that support virtual keyboards and are compatible with the S Pen stylus.
Every once in a while, we can always see Samsung’s constantly refreshing patents related to flexible screen smartphones. Some concepts have been put into practical applications, compared to the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 folding screen smartphones launched in summer. In addition, there are some more unique sliding designs, such as the dual-slide smartphone reported by Dutch technology blog LetsGoDigital earlier this week, and the recently discussed Galaxy Z Fold & Slide concept.
Facts have proved that the creativity of Samsung engineers does not stop there. Although not all concepts will be available, the actual experience will not be bad for those who can reach the stage of the official release. Recently, the South Korean technology giant has once again obtained a patent for a unique sliding smartphone, which is characterized by the ability to fix the screen in a specific position or be used in smartphones, tablets and compact laptops.
The illustrations depict fairly narrow top and bottom borders, and the left side of the screen appears more rounded compared to the right side. Users can easily increase the display area from the front left to the right according to their needs, just like the Slideable concept demonstrated by Samsung Display earlier this year.
What needs to be pointed out is that Samsung installed an extra hinge inside the device this time so that the screen surface can be bent to the desired position (supports four use postures). When lying flat, you can use it as a tablet, and the 2-3-4 posture can be used as a laptop.
In terms of software, the user interface (UI) can also be automatically adjusted to suit the way the device is used. For example, a virtual keyboard is displayed in the lower half of the screen, and text content is displayed in the upper half of the screen. Even better, the documentation indicates that this concept device also supports S Pen stylus interaction.