Samsung will add a third foldable device to its smartphone lineup this year that will likely feature a unique rollable display form factor, according to a credible leaker of Samsung’s plans. The existing Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 have joined Samsung’s smartphone family relatively successfully, with the company reportedly planning to ship more than 10 million foldable phones in 2022 with the Flip 3 and Fold 3, and a third unnamed foldable lineup.
Samsung’s internal codenames for models expected to launch this year include B4, Q4, and N4, with B4 and Q4, believed to be related to the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, respectively, while N4 refers to a brand new device. Phone leaker @UniverseIce, a high-profile source of Samsung rumors, claimed today that Samsung’s third foldable device will be released in the second half of the year. However, the leaker believes that the codename of the new device is actually “Diamond” and says it will most likely have a scrollable screen form factor.
Phones with scrollable/swipeable screens don’t yet exist in the consumer market, but as mobile manufacturers look for the next big innovation in smartphone technology, they’ve advertised a slew of concept devices. Oppo X is an example. It uses a motorized powertrain mechanism to spread or extend the screen evenly while avoiding noticeable kinks or wrinkles on the display.
The Oppo X 2021 was the first rollable phone expected to hit the market, but the device never made it to the market, although Oppo apparently had plans to release an updated version this year. Samsung also showed off a concept smartphone with a sliding OLED display in 2021, but it wasn’t tied to an actual consumer product launch.
According to Apple’s patents, the company has explored scrollable displays in the past. In March 2020, a patent attributed to Apple appeared in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describing an “electronic device with a flexible display structure.” The patent details a flexible display that could be wrapped around one or more internal scroll wheel mechanisms, allowing the screen to expand out of the body.
There’s still a rigid section to house the printed circuit board and other electronic components, but a scrollable display layer is added. As with all Apple patents, there is no indication that Apple has plans to bring such a device to market.