Samsung often files patents for foldable and extendable smartphone models. Some are based on the already listed Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphones, while others have completely different form factors. Last month, LetsGoDigital reported on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold foldable smartphone, and more recently a Galaxy model with a foldable display.
This time around, Samsung Electronics is looking into the possibility of making the Galaxy Z Flip not only foldable but also extendable. The result is a display that is twice as large, which opens up several new possibilities to the user. A patent titled “Multiple Folding Electronic Instruments” was filed by Samsung Electronics at WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) in September 2021.
Numerous documents describe a foldable phone with a horizontal fold line, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip clamshell design. In its most compact form, the phone is as small and compact as the existing Z Flip 3. However, the patent shows that the phone is not only foldable but also stretchable.
Users can further increase the display area by 100% by pulling out the device. The pulling process is done from the bottom of the device. The extra display area is stored in the upper part of the case, where the camera is also located. This leaves enough room in the lower part to integrate the battery. In addition, this way the top and bottom frames remain intact, keeping the device optimally protected against impacts.
When fully unfolded, the phone is twice as long as the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Thanks to its unique structure, it is also possible to fold the display section so that the user has an upright and a landscape screen on both sides. It’s like having two Z Flip devices lying side by side. The two upright display sections are magnetically pulled towards each other. It became the perfect electronic device for multiplayer mobile games, and each other couldn’t see each other’s screen. Samsung also gave the device virtual game buttons, including a D-pad, for extra versatility.
This design also pulls the phone straight out, rather than folding it. When you want to use the phone in its folded state, a small extra screen surface acts as a sort of frontal display, so the phone won’t have a separate front screen like the current Galaxy Z Flip model. As for the cameras, the filing talks about a punch-hole selfie camera. Additionally, the description suggests that there will be multiple cameras on the back. According to the patent images, it appears to be a dual-camera.
Whether and when Samsung will launch this Galaxy Z clamshell smartphone is unfortunately still unknown. It could be a few years before the first foldable phone model rolls out.
