Samsung is now working on a foldable phone that folds outwards, patent reveals

Even before the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, there were reports that Samsung has two more foldable phones in the pipeline, thanks to the Bloomberg, now we know that one of the devices will have an “outfold” screen like what we have seen in Huawei’s Mate X.

As of now, a recently filed patent may have leaked the design of that device. As indicated by LetsGoDigital, the patent filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a ‘Foldable display apparatus’ supports a relatively compact smartphone with a two-sided housing joined by a flexible segment.

So basically the new patent reveals that when you fold or unfold the smartphone, the two housing sides will move relative to each other exactly on the fold line. That’s how this design will flatten the phone on the fold. If the smartphone is completely unfolded, the two sides will close seamlessly.

At the back of the phone, a small slide is placed (indicated in the diagram above with ‘A’), which functions such as a lock, allowing the device to remain completely flat when opened without a complex mechanism in the hinge.

Take all of the above said with a pinch of salt as the patent does not reveal much else about the device, but of course does show that Samsung has been considering an outward-facing screen, despite their claims that it is the wrong way to do a folding phone.

Meanwhile, the design is another example of folding screens being used to make large phones smaller rather than turn large phones into small tablets. Which approach do you like the most? Let us know in the comments section below.