Samsung Display is demoing a prototype foldable phone that can bend not once, but twice.
It showed off the concept during last week’s iMiD convention in South Korea. The device can fold in two separate places across the 7.2-inch OLED display, a process the company has dubbed the “Flex In and Out.” As the video below illustrates, one section of the phone bends outwards while the other bends inwards, creating an “S-curve.”
The phone’s main selling point is likely that large 7.2-inch screen, which can be folded back into a compact size. But according to Samsung, the device also excels at multitasking.
Indeed, the two folds essentially separate the OLED panel into three separate sections. One section can display your phone’s main screen, another can display a YouTube video, and the third screen can display your video playlist.
The prototype was encased in glass, so it’s unclear how the phone would perform in the wild. Samsung Display also didn’t say whether the concept would be turned into a working product. It merely teased: “The day we carry smartphones like a compact powder or wallet is coming soon.”
However, it’s clear Samsung is betting big foldable designs represent the next frontier for smartphone innovation. This month, the company launched two new foldable phones in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.
At last week’s iMiD convention, the company also showed off a 12.4-inch flexible display that can essentially unfurl or tighten itself around the speaker with a press of a button. As the video illustrates, unraveling the display can turn the OLED panel into a full-screen monitor.
