Leaked Patent Filing Show Samsung Could be Designing a Rollable Smartphone
In Focus
- Samsung’s new design features an expanding display screen
- Patent filing shows the device features a movable camera
- The movable camera enables Samsung to make the phone thin
- Samsung has previously teased the rollable display concept in industry events
Samsung has reportedly been exploring smartphones with unconventional designs. Following the successful launch of a foldable handset, reports show that Samsung is building Galaxy Z Fold Wide, a wide book-style smartphone. A newly leaked patent filing suggests that the Samsung smartphone comes with a rollable design that expands the display screen.
How Will Samsung’s Rollable Device Work?
Illustrations in the Samsung patent filing present the Galaxy Z Rollable handset as a compact standard smartphone. In the USPTO patent application, Samsung has described the Galaxy Z Rollable smartphone as an electronic device that features movable housing components and a flexible display.
The company added that the upcoming device comes with processing hardware, cameras, sensors, and antennas. On the front side, the images show a tall display with a centered top hole-punch for the selfie camera. The rear panel features a triple-camera setup in a vertical arrangement.
The island design is very similar to that of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, the camera module will likely be mounted on a movable chassis since the rear camera is designed to slide out of the smartphone’s main body. When the phone is retracted, the camera can slide back to its dedicated space.
Samsung, which recently launched the beta version of One UI 9, has been teasing the rollable display concept in multiple industry events. However, the company has not launched a rollable device yet. Its current foldable smartphone series includes the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the Galaxy Z TriFold.
Rollable Vs Foldable Smartphones
Compared to foldable smartphones, rollable ones are much thinner. This is because the folding aspect doubles in overall thickness of the smartphone. This is not the same for rollables, even though they appear thinner on paper.
Samsung’s movable camera represents a smart way of addressing the phone’s thickness challenge. This is because shifting the camera module to the opposite side would increase the smartphone’s thickness. By tucking it away in the rollable section of the smartphone, the company keeps the smartphone thin.
Samsung, which has dominated the foldable smartphones space for some time now, is about to face competition from Apple. The iPhone maker is expected to launch a foldable phone next month at its annual developers conference. Last month, Apple reportedly adopted a dual-layer glass design to reduce crease effect on its foldable iphone.
When Will Samsung Launch the Rollable Smartphone
It is unclear whether Samsung’s rollable smartphone patent filing will translate into a real product. Like with other patents, it is not guaranteed that the company will turn the design into a consumer product. However, the move gives an indication of what Samsung’s may be headed in terms of hardware plans.
