A new Samsung foldable phone patent has been granted by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a global body that lists a variety of patent applications that are filed by companies around the world. The patent showcases a foldable smartphone design, but is one that goes beyond the seemingly usual foldable phone renditions that we have seen so far.
According to the patent application, the design of the foldable smartphone showcased by Samsung presents a double folding mechanism. The patent shows a device that has three parts that collapse to form a single-form layout. Think of this as something similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, but with an additional folding layer at the bottom. The main foldable display covers the outer layer of the upper panel, and collapses in a Z-shaped layout.
Alongside the double folding design with three parts, the patent also shows the device to feature a bridge of sorts, similar to how the Huawei Mate X foldable smartphone had on one side. This bridge appears to host a USB-C port for charging. The upper half of this bridge also showcases a camera module that would either extend out of the phone, or flips outward to enable the full, main camera module. A triple camera module is also showcased in the patent’s schematics, but this is of course subject to being altered.
The patent application of the foldable Samsung phone showcases a design that is rather complex. One of the biggest challenges that folding phones present is durability, and having more parts that fold or move on a device would pose increasingly greater challenges towards the durability of devices. The Samsung patent has two layers for a double folding display, along with a camera and bridge part that is also to be taken into account.
On this note, it is unlikely that such a smartphone design would materialise — at least any time in the near future. Complex implementations of folding displays, however, could see designs similar to this being taken up as the technology behind folding phones progress, the durability aspect gets better and the costs come down. For now, though, the patent is likely an early, experimental take on what a device could be — and not something closer to production.
