Since Samsung discontinued the production and sales of the Galaxy Note 7, experts have suggested that the company should kill the Galaxy Note brand altogether. They believe that the Note 7 has done significant damage to the brand, and if there is a Galaxy Note 8, buyers will instantly associate it with overheating and explosions. But Samsung is looking to make a strong comeback with more advanced technologies.
Will Galaxy Note 8 get this feature?
Earlier this week, the electronics giant filed the patent for a foldable display technology that will allow users to bend and fold the screen, pretty much like the old flip phones. According to the patent filing, first spotted by Galaxy Club, the bending mechanism will work “semi-automatically.” The patent also describes a secondary display that will get activated when the handset is folded.
Samsung has filed several patents related to the foldable display technology since last year. But the latest one also offers us a look at what the actual device could look like. Past rumors suggested that the Korean company has been secretly working on Project Valley aka Galaxy X with foldable display. The company may add this innovative feature in the Galaxy Note 8 as well to revive the Note brand.
The phone folds in half down the middle
The phone renderings shown in the filing fold in half down the middle. Bending the device in half could make it easier to carry around. The hinge looks similar to that of the Microsoft Surface Book. A bendable phone presents major technical hurdles. The display has to move without breaking, and the components need to be placed such that they won’t get harmed after months or years of use.
Samsung is not the only company exploring the foldable display technology. Its arch-rival Apple also owns several patents related to the feature. In one of its latest patents, Apple describes the use of carbon nanotubes in the display and other components and sensors to make the folding possible. Other companies such as LG Electronics and Xiaomi are also experimenting with the idea.
Galaxy Note 8 model number is SM-N950
Apparently, the Korean company is not killing the Galaxy Note brand. In a leak, noted tipster Evan Blass said Samsung was working on a device with model number SM-N950, which is in all likelihood the Galaxy Note 8. All the previous Note phablets carried model numbers with “SM-N9” sequence.
Samsung hopes that consumers would forgive it after the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. Recently, the company ran full-page ads in major US publications to apologize to the Note 7 buyers. The Note 7 calamity is estimated to have cost Samsung about $5 billion. The next year’s Galaxy Note 8 is unlikely to feature non-removable batteries. Samsung has learned from the Note 7 debacle that it could have saved billions of dollars and avoided a lot of hassle had it packed removable batteries in the phablet.
