Samsung Patent Application Describes a Rollable Display for Clamshell Flip Smartphones

Samsung has submitted a patent application that showcases a rollable display technology that can be used in different form factors to offer a diverse set of interfaces. The new patent comes after the South Korean tech giant was granted patents for tri-fold and rollable display technologies in March. While the application only mentions that the display will be used for “electronic devices”, the illustrated images showcase a clamshell flip phone, highlighting that it could be used for a future Galaxy Z Flip phone.

Samsung submits patent application for a flexible display

The patent was first spotted by The Nerd Stash in collaboration with tipster David Kowalski from xleaks7. The patent was submitted on June 18 to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the applicant's name was mentioned as Samsung Electronics. The patent describes a flexible display with three different housing mechanisms.

Samsung flexible display patent's illustration
Photo Credit: The Nerd Dash/Samsung

As per the illustrations shared in the patent application, the display can be set up in three different ways, which are called “housings”. The first housing is an unfolded and fully extended view, where the rollable display appears on the front of the device and is extended to offer a larger screen real-estate.

In the second housing, the extended part, which appears near the top of the frame, can be collapsed to create a more compact candy bar form factor. In the third housing, the display folds in half to appear both on the front and back of the device. As per the illustrations, both sides of the device appear to be functional.

The camera modules are placed on the frame of the phone. They appear on the top of the device in both folded and unfolded state. The company also highlighted how all three states can be used to show different apps and interfaces.

Samsung stated that the slow influx of flexible displays in the market has created competition for developing devices that can be transformed into various shapes and offer greater portability. The company highlighted that a major advantage of this display technology will be that all three housing states function independently of each other and can be set up in a combination of folding and sliding operations to create various shapes. Each shape will then offer a different interface and experience.

It should be noted that a patent application is not a confirmation of an under-development device. Samsung may or may not introduce the design to the public in the coming years, even after the patent is granted.