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Most of the foldable phones floating around the world today come from Samsung, but even if you see one of them in the wild, you might not be able to tell if it’s the latest and greatest Z Fold4 or one of the earlier revisions. Samsung has kept the form factor largely unchanged across four generations, but a big change might be on the way. Samsung Display has just demoed a new foldable OLED panel with a 360-degree hinge. It’s a bit like the Microsoft Duo, except it’s one big display instead of two smaller ones.
The “Flex In & Out” panel can fold closed like today’s Samsung foldables, or it can fold in the opposite direction to keep the screen visible with a smaller footprint. Today’s Samsung foldables have two screens, one large foldable OLED on the inside and a smaller flat display on the outside. A device with the Flex In & Out screen could get by with just one OLED and still do all the things as other foldables.
This prototype display might address one of the most notable drawbacks of current foldable screens: the crease. Samsung’s current foldable screens have a small radius fold when closed, which causes a very noticeable crease down the middle of the screen. You might not always be aware of it, but it’s there. The Flex In & Out panel has a “water-drop hinge” with a larger fold radius, thus reducing the depth of the crease.
Samsung has demoed flexible OLEDs in numerous form factors, but this one looks closer to being a real product. The hardware bears a striking resemblance to the Z Fold — The Verge speculates this may even be destined for the Z Fold5. This would be a major departure for Samsung, and it could come with some tradeoffs. While foldable screens have gotten a lot more durable, the top layer is still plastic, and that makes it vulnerable to scratches. Current Samsung foldables alleviate this concern somewhat by protecting the screen internally when closed. If you fold the Flex In & Out panel backward, the flexible OLED will be exposed on the back. Setting the phone down like that could end up scuffing the screen.
If this screen does find its way into a Samsung foldable, it won’t be tomorrow. Samsung’s next foldable phones won’t debut until late in 2023. The company’s next big release is the Galaxy S23 family, which the company will announce at its Unpacked event on Feb 1.
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