2017 was the year of bezel-less phones. And from the looks of things, next year could be the year of foldable phones. ZTE already launched a dual-screen foldable phone last week, but the company’s implementation of the idea looks and feels much more like a prototype than a final product. Other firms like Microsoft are also working on foldable phones, with Redmond expected to ship its own foldable mobile device next year.
Samsung is toying with the idea of a foldable phone for a while now, too. Patents of the company’s foldable phone started appearing as early as last year, but a new patent has been published recently. The patent shows off the hinge of the foldable device, and it looks a lot like the hinge from Microsoft’s Surface Book. When the device is closed, it also has the hinge gap similar to the Surface Book.
The more interesting thing about the patent is that it apparently includes a flexible display which you can fold. When folded, there will be a secondary device on top of the phone that would let you interact with the device. It looks a lot like a flip phone. Samsung isn’t really known for its hardware design, so I’m personally not expecting the company to come up with a really sleek looking design with the first version of its foldable phone — if it ever makes it to the market, that is.
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