A Phone That Can Be Folded Horizontally and Vertically

Design of multi-foldable phone patent filed with World Intellectual Property Organization (Image source: LetsGoDigital)

Samsung Electronics has filed for a patent for a multi-foldable phone that can be folded horizontally and vertically. The new phone combines both the horizontal folding used for the Galaxy Z-Flip and the vertical folding used for the Galaxy Z-Flip.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) disclosed Samsung's patent application documents to the public on Feb. 10, according to Let’sGoDigital, a Dutch IT media outlet. 

All foldable phones that Samsung Electronics has introduced so far are folded only inward, but the new technology allows a phone to be folded outward when folded horizontally and inward when folded vertically.

The hinge that folds horizontally leans left, so when folded outward, the right screen is relatively larger than the left one. As the left screen is small, it does not cover the rear camera even if folded outward.

On the other hand, the hinge that folds vertically is located exactly in the middle, like the Galaxy Z Flip. When the device is folded about 90 degrees, it turns into something like a mini laptop. A virtual keyboard appears on the lower display, and the upper display can be used like a monitor.

Samsung Electronics has dominated the foldable phone market with the global success of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, which were released in August 2021. It is now focusing on differentiating its foldable phones from others, such as those from Chinese companies, by implementing more diverse folding methods.

Currently, foldable phones that fold outward include the Mate Xs from Huawei. Both Oppo and Honor, other Chinese smartphone makers, introduced foldable phones that fold inward like Samsung foldable models.

Let’sGoDigital predicts that once Samsung Electronics’ technology is commercialized, the device can be a tablet PC when fully unfolded, a double-sided display phone when folded left and right, and a mini laptop when folded up and down. The technology can expand the scope of foldable phone applications.

Let’sGoDigital says that it will be a big task for Samsung Electronics to make wrinkles on the screen less noticeable than now.

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