Well, you may just be lucky. Samsung has designed a smartphone that can completely bend into half. The South Korean smartphone maker has filed patent for technology that could just do the above. The patent portfolio registered with the United States Patents And Trademarks Office (USPTO) and approved in July 2015 hints that Samsung could be working on a smartphone that folds in half when not in use. According to images filed with the USPTO earlier this month, the smartphone has a super flexible touchscreen with a frame reminiscent of a flip phone. However, the images suggests that the smartphone could be fold in half with a bit of a gap at the hinge so the screen doesn’t crease, either inward or outward, very similar to the two flaps of a wallet. The appearance of the smartphone could look a lot like the clamshell phones of the early 2000s.
It is not clear whether this foldable design from Samsung would see the light of the day or whether it would pursue and release similar flip phones in the U.S. However, in the recent years, the company has tried out new ways to come up with innovative phone designs, that includes its curved Galaxy phone and its somewhat bendable Galaxy Note Edge. On the other hand, sometime in August, a version of Samsung’s flip phone called the Galaxy Folder is scheduled to go on sale in Korea. The smartphone will have all the modern functions that one would expect from their smartphones; however, the appearance may be a lot like the phones some years ago. According to Reviewed.com, Samsung in a statement said, “The folding-style design combined with smartphone features, including the Internet, messenger and social networking services, will add to the device’s convenience.” With a fall in the profits and market share lately, Samsung has been struggling to have a hold in the market. Earlier this week, the tech company announced it plans to cut prices on its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in an effort to encourage its sales. According to reports by CNBC, International Data Corporation, a market research company, had noted in its latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker that “Samsung remained the leader in the worldwide smartphone market but was the only company among the top five to see its shipment volume decline year over year.”
