Samsung develops Galaxy Z Fold smartphone with a double foldable flexible display and a retractable keyboard for extra user convenience.
Samsung has now launched several foldable smartphones, such as the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold 2 - both 5G models can be purchased in the Netherlands. All folding telephones available so far have one thing in common; they can be folded 1x. Nevertheless, it is obvious that smartphones will also be introduced with a flexible display that can be folded twice. A good example of this was already shown at the beginning of last year, when Xiaomi demonstrated its first foldable smartphone .
Samsung is also known to work on such models. For example, LetsGoDigital recently reported on a Galaxy Z Dual Fold smartphone . With this model, the lower screen part could be used as a virtual keyboard.
Newly found documentation shows that Samsung is also considering developing a foldable smartphone with a slide-out keyboard, for convenience we call this device the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold with double hinge and 3 screen parts
In mid-2018, Samsung Display filed a design patent with the KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office). The documentation is kept secret until July 17, 2020 and contains eight clear product sketches in addition to a brief description.
It is a double foldable smartphone, which when folded is remarkably slim. In order to better visualize the design defined by Samsung, LetsGoDigital has created a series of 3D product renders in collaboration with industrial designer Sarang Sheth . Sarang is editor-in-chief at Yanko Design , a respected online magazine about modern, industrial design.
Since the patent has been applied for by Samsung Display, certain design features remain underexposed. In order to fully design the product, Sarang has based on the current top models of Samsung, the color scheme and the camera system are derived from Samsung's latest folding phone; the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
The appliance can be folded twice thanks to the use of a double hinge. Thus, the flexible display consists of 3 equal display parts. Folded, you have a narrow, compact phone, while unfolded you have a tablet-sized display.
Part of the screen can always be used, even when folded. Notifications and incoming messages and calls can be displayed on this. This screen part is also large enough to be able to reply directly to a WhatsApp message or to browse through your phone book to find a contact.
Because part of the screen always remains visible - even when you carry the phone with you on the go - the risk of screen damage is greater. Although Samsung uses UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) for the Z Fold and Z Flip, the screen protector placed over it is significantly less scratch-resistant. Hopefully, a solid solution will be sought before Samsung decides to release a folding phone with a (partially) outwardly folding display.
The applied hinge ensures that you can close the phone completely, without visible seams. This makes this phone extremely compact to carry with you. It also reduces the chance that dust particles and dirt can enter and have a negative effect on the operation of the device.
Samsung may see an opportunity to integrate the unique 'sweeper technology' that made its debut in the Galaxy Z Fold 2's hideaway hinge. Extensive durability testing has shown that this technology, which is based on the bristles of a vacuum cleaner system, is very works well in practice.
Thanks to the double hinge, multiple folding positions are also possible, allowing you to set up and use the phone in different ways. The user interface will change automatically depending on how you start using the device. Several of these operating options are well reflected in the 3D renders made by Sarang.
Samsung foldable smartphone with sliding keyboard
To further enhance the user experience and possibilities, this Samsung foldable smartphone is equipped with a keyboard. It is a sliding keyboard that can be slid out of the housing. The keyboard is the same size as one display part.
By integrating such a large keyboard, you can type significantly better and faster, making it an extra versatile device on which you can work productively. So you have a phone, tablet and compact laptop in one. Even the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus doesn't have such a keyboard - unless you include the $ 230 Book Cover Keyboard accessory.
Because it is a sliding keyboard, you can continue to use it, regardless of how the device is folded. This way you can even use the keyboard when using the phone in its most compact form. Probably some sort of locking mechanism will be built in to prevent the keyboard and / or the phone from unintentionally unfolded.
Unfortunately, nothing is known about the camera system of this special Samsung foldable phone. Nevertheless, you can assume that if Samsung wants to release this Galaxy Z Fold 3, that a high-quality camera will be built in. Finally, this is a high-end phone that will undoubtedly come with a hefty price tag, so potential users will expect the best of the best - in every area.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is equipped with 5 cameras in total. The cover screen gives you access to a 10MP hole-punch selfie camera - similar to that of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra . A triple camera is placed on the back, these are three 12MP cameras with a wide angle, ultra wide angle and a telephoto lens.
Although the patented smartphone is slimmer than most contemporary devices, it will be a lot larger in terms of thickness. Finally, you do not fold two, but three display parts on top of each other, which will make a significant difference in thickness. So the question is whether you can still put this phone in your pocket or breast pocket. In a handbag it will of course not be a problem, but the thickness will probably be at the expense of portability.
The difference between mobile phones and laptops is decreasing
Samsung places its foldable smartphones within the Galaxy Z series. Two types of models are available to date. The Flip has a flip phone design with a horizontally folding display, while the Fold unfolds into a tablet with a vertically folding screen.
Thanks to the application of a flexible screen, you can expect more different types of foldable smartphones in the coming years, as well as other foldable and bendable electronic devices. At the beginning of this year, for example, the first 'foldable laptops' with a flexible screen were shown, by Dell and Intel , among others .
The first foldable laptop has now actually been released, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold has a flexible display, without a physical keyboard and is available for a starting price of € 2,770. This was also the first 5G laptop that was introduced.
The flexible display will further narrow the difference between smartphones, tablets and laptops. As a result, both smartphone and computer manufacturers are keen to make an early start on this new trend. It is therefore certainly not inconceivable that we can also expect a Samsung smartphone with a retractable keyboard in the future.
Finally, Samsung has already gained the necessary experience in the development and production of smartphones , tablets , 2-in-1 PCs , Chromebooks and laptops . By combining this knowledge, an excellent user experience can be created, which would make such a device extra multifunctional and versatile. Consider, for example, Samsung DeX, with which you can easily switch between a mobile and a desktop environment. Or Multi Active Window, which allows users to use multiple apps side by side.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G foldable phone
Samsung will probably announce the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 around August 2021. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 may be Samsung's first foldable smartphone with a stylus pen on board. The Galaxy Note series has of course been praised for the S Pen for years. There are rumors that the Galaxy S21 Ultra, expected in early 2021, will also be equipped with an S Pen. In addition, it has long been talked about online that Samsung also wants to make its stylus compatible with flexible displays. Especially with a large format screen - such as that of a foldable smartphone - such a stylus offers added value.
It is possible that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will also have a handy light indicator in the hinge, Samsung was awarded a patent for this earlier this month.
Next year, various smartphones will also be introduced with an under-screen camera. The first mobile phone with a camera under the screen has already been introduced, the ZTE Axon 20 5G . Some believe that Samsung wants to apply this new camera technology to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 next year. By implementing an under-display camera, a full-screen design can be created - without cuts or holes in the screen.
Where the Z Fold was provided with a wide notch, the Z Fold 2 got a more streamlined design thanks to the use of a hole-punch camera. If Samsung is indeed one of the manufacturers next year that will release a phone with an under-screen camera, then it is certainly not inconceivable that this technology will also be applied to the foldable models.
View the documentation of the Samsung foldable smartphone with sliding keyboard here .
Note to editors: The 3D product renders presented in this article are made in collaboration with Sarang Sheth , Industrial Designer and Editor in Chief at Yanko Design . The design is based on the patent images of Samsung Display. The images are for illustrative purposes only, this product is not for sale. If you want touse one of these product renders on your own site, please include a clickable source link into your publication. Thank you very much.
