Samsung has been developing foldable display technology in recent years, as highlighted by its patents in this area. A recent patent listing at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that the company was working on a design titled ‘Method and device for providing (a) user interface in (an) electronic device having foldable display’. The patent was published on May 21, 2021, and gives an insight into the possible usage scenarios of such a multi-foldable device.
Earlier on, the same design was patented at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patenting information has now yielded some renders of the device, which are pretty illuminating. Editor-in-Chief at Yanko Design, Sarang Sheth, has provided some pretty hi-res renders of the Galaxy Z Fold Tab (via LetsGoDigital), using the details contained in the Patent. There is no need for a cover display in the device because of its foldable design. The device’s name is not yet clear, although it could be named Galaxy Z Fold Tab or Galaxy Z Flex, which is in line with the naming convention used in the foldable Samsung 2-in-1 laptop.
The Galaxy Z Fold Tab is designed to operate both as a smartphone and a tablet, with a decent form factor resulting from its minimal folding mechanism. The design of the Z Fold tablet also incorporates a position for the S Pen, which could be more efficient in the model.
Foldable technology holds much promise, as several OEMs are pursuing active research along such a line. Recently Huawei and Xiaomi have released affordable foldable-display smartphones to the Chinese market.
However, Samsung will have to decide whether this device is worthy of being released into the tablet market and its market viability. The Galaxy Unpacked event slated for August 2021 will provide further perspective on the possible trajectory of the new foldable device.
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