Patent Shows Possible Partner To Samsung Galaxy X Foldable Phone

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With several recent patents on bendable display technology, it’s looking very likely that we’ll soon see the first Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone. Because this technology is brand new, it’s likely that it will be difficult to get your hands on the device right out of the gate, but the Galaxy X may very well be the first foldable handset to reach mass production and distribution. The most recently discovered images suggest a phone with a wraparound display — another new piece of tech that could be used in a launch alongside the Galaxy X.

New Samsung Wraparound Technology

As mentioned above, there’s been a series of patents recently filed by the Korean smartphone manufacturer that suggest a Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone — many of which first reported on by Dutch technology website LetsGoDigital. However, not all of these patents are related to a foldable phone. Some show patented developments that suggest new innovation outside of a Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone.While this may not be the Galaxy X design, it’s clear that we’ll soon see something new in another one of Samsung’s lines — perhaps with the new Note or S models.

Previous images didn’t give us a very clear sense of the design of the phone, but this patent definitely suggests the sleek aesthetic we’ve come to expect from Samsung’s premium flagships. The display will seemingly run all the way around to the back of the smartphone, and it appears that the phone will feature two displays: one primary screen augmented by a secondary panel for app icons, notifications, and other contextual information.

However, the secondary screen in this patent is pretty large, suggesting that the display will be used for more than just a simple notification display. With a display that wraps around the phone by 180-degrees, it doesn’t seem like the displays will be split in two. With the wraparound display, it’s likely that we’ll see one huge display rather than two smaller separate panels.

Discovering The Patent

While LetsGoDigital just recently discovered the patent by looking through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO,) it appears that the patent was filed back in 2016. Because of this large gap of time, it’s likely that either the technology is far along in development, or it has been abandoned in favor of some new take on smartphone innovation. With the recent discovery of more Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone information, it’s becoming clear that the phone is far along and will launch sooner rather than later. Whether this wraparound display technology will be featured in a Samsung Galaxy Note or S phone remains to be seen, but it would certainly be refreshing if both the information included in this patent as well as the foldable display are included across several phones.

While Samsung still controls a sizeable part of the Android market, it’s important for the company to continue to innovate if they’d like to keep the top spot. With major competition from Apple in the recently released iPhone X, the combination of a Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone and a device that features this new wraparound technology may be just what the company needs to prove that it can do more than just provided updated power and specifications every year. While a faster and more powerful phone is enough reason to upgrade for some people, the jump from the Galaxy S7 to the Galaxy S8 wasn’t impressive enough to make up for the lack of any new revolutionary features.

Patents don’t necessarily represent technology that will make it to market. It’s possible that Samsung is just trying to protect their research with this new legal filing, but if it’s truly to be included in an upcoming device, it will be something new that the smartphone market hasn’t yet seen.

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