Samsung's Foldable Tablet Has A Working Prototype And Could Be Out Sometime Next Year
Samsung looks to bring a folding tablet to market in 2015. Could this be the first of flexible displays?
By Sadho Ram — 12 Jun 2014, 06:17 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
If reports are to be believed, then Samsung is going to give the world "the next big thing" by 2015: A foldable tablet
An artist's impression of what the Samsung Foldable Tablet might look like.
Image via pocketmeta.comA report out of Korea says that Samsung’s looking to create a tablet that can be folded at least twice into a smartphone size that will make the device more portable and compact.
inferse.com
The tablet would reportedly be around the 8 or 9 inch size, and have the ability to fold up in a smaller size for presumed better portability because of the more compact design.
techradar.com
Although being able to fold the tablet would also most likely make it thicker when in the folded state, so the idea of compactness and portability would only go so far.
androidheadlines.com
The tablet's display is rumoured to potentially have a OLED full HD display resolution, and the report also states that Samsung already has working prototypes of the foldable tablet out in the wild
With prototypes allegedly already in play, Samsung could very well have this device ready to launch by mid next year, although without much detail or specifics it’s unclear whether or not they would plan to launch such a device outside of their own home market, assuming everything goes as planned and the tablet makes it to a production stage.
androidheadlines.com
The rumoured device will run on Google's Android OS, albeit a customised version in order to work well with the all-new form factor. It is also expected that Samsung will create specific apps to take advantage of the foldable screen.
techtree.com
There have been many clues to the coming of such a device in the past, with Samsung filing for a patent on a system that warns users when they are over-bending their device's display
In September 2011, Samsung filed its first flexible display patent that featured a dual-display smartphone that would fold down the middle. In June 2012, Samsung’s second flexible display patent shows typical smartphone icons and the usual on-screen virtual keyboard – but with two displays and thus, two sets of icons and virtual keyboards.
inferse.com
In October 2012, Samsung filed its first patent for a tri-foldable, flexible display. It seems that the company had been contemplating dual displays, but then decided to take things down an interesting road with the idea of a display that was foldable in more than two ways. This is the first patent of what many say Samsung is now getting ready to bring to market.
techtree.com
Along with the hardware, Samsung is also focussing on the software part, creating a customized user interface
It will take advantage of the unique form factor of the foldable tablet. The source cited by Daum says that "a killer app is necessary" for the device to succeed in the market.
Samsung is also looking at use-case scenarios, where this tablet would have an advantage over conventional models. One such example cited in the report is women's handbags; a foldable tablet will take up less space and be easier to fit in a handbag.
digit.in
The idea of having a tablet that folds is certainly a cool thought, but the technology for it is in early stages
One could assume that it would have a long way to go before it becomes commercially available. If we ever get to see a working model of this device, would Samsung plan to load it with its own Tizen OS, or Android?
androidheadlines.com