A recent patent application shows that Samsung has ambitious ideas for future phone-design experimentation, although the South Korean manufacturer may have second thoughts about bendy phones after recent battery explosions and recalls. In April, Samsung was reported to have filed a patent with the Korean Intellectual Property Office for a foldable smartphone. The application was picked up by Dutch website Galaxy Club.
The document shows a narrow Samsung device with a screen that bends and folds like an old-school flip phone handset. The device is described as something that can be “folded or unfolded semi automatically.” The patent also referred to a “secondary” display, which is supposed to activate when you fold the device, according to International Business Times UK.
The patent definitely adds weight to the rumor, reported earlier this year by Bloomberg, that the company has plans to ship smartphones and tablets with bendable OLED screens. The trend of bendable screen has emerged in line with the bendable “wrist phone” trend. In June, Lenovo displayed a prototype and demo of its own bendable phone and tablet in its Tech World 2016 event.
