This Samsung patent shows a laptop with a folding screen

Foldable screen technology enables devices with new form factors. In smartphones, we’ve seen the return of the “clamshell” design, the arrival of “book-like” designs, and even tri-fold devices. However, companies can also leverage such technology in bigger products, such as laptops. A patent for a laptop with a folding screen shows that Samsung has been studying the idea for years.

Samsung is one of the pioneers and main drivers of foldable screens. The company has already launched six generations of smartphones with flexible screens in its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip lineups. However, it seems that the South Korean giant has been resting on its laurels lately in the segment. Other manufacturers have been launching more innovative and risky products. A laptop with a folding screen could potentially propel Samsung back to the forefront of innovation.

Samsung considered developing a laptop with a folding screen, patent reveals

It’s noteworthy that the discovered patent dates back to 2020, so it’s quite old. In the tech industry, four years is a significant amount of time, during which many things could have undergone radical changes. Anyway, the patent confirms that Samsung has been mulling over the possibility of releasing a laptop with a foldable screen for quite some time now.

Regarding Samsung’s patent, while the laptop uses a foldable screen, it probably doesn’t do it in the way you’d expect. Rather than providing a laptop with a large foldable screen, the device only folds at the top of the display. The goal is to enable the use of higher-quality cameras for improved video calls. The rear area of the laptop integrates two camera sensors that would become front cameras when you fold the top part of the screen. The rest of the product’s design is similar to that of any other laptop.

Considering how old the patent is, it’s only natural that it doesn’t propose a laptop based entirely on a flexible screen. The patents envision potential concepts that are expected to be relatively realistic. It’s possible that Samsung has more modern patents related to foldable screen laptops that we don’t know about yet.

Apple could get ahead with a foldable MacBook

Apple, Samsung’s most direct rival in the tech industry, is also reportedly working on a foldable laptop. The alleged foldable MacBook has been in the news for quite some time now. The latest developments suggest that Apple has delayed it in order to overcome the technological challenges involved in such a product. The device is said to be built around a large 18.8-inch flexible display.

There are no leaks yet regarding the development of a commercial foldable laptop from Samsung. We’ll have to wait and see if any news emerges in the coming months.