The Galaxy X, once believed to be a phone that existed only in the laboratory, lives and has an announcement and release date timeframe. New patents surfacing this week show Samsung's continued development of the foldable smartphone, the Korean giant's “next big thing,” as well as future Galaxy smartphone design.
The first patent points to a fold-out design for the upcoming foldable smartphone. A hinge in-between both displays will allow for the bending and flexing motion of the device. We've seen this hinge before in a prototype, and it seems as though Samsung is sticking to its plans without much deviation. Rumors say that Samsung intends to use a more durable glass than Corning's Gorilla Glass for the device's display; flexible glass will become the mandate here with flexible devices.
The next two patents refer to future Galaxy smartphone design. Patently Mobile assumes that these new smartphone designs may refer to Galaxy S models, considering that one diagram shows a phone that has curved edges on the front like a Galaxy S7 edge but looks like a flat Galaxy S5 Neo on the back – with a speaker that is reminiscent of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 speaker design. In fact, the last patent showcases a diagram that appears to be a Galaxy Note 4/Note Edge design with curved edges on both sides.
The Galaxy S7 edge/S5 Neo-esque nature of the second patent, coupled with a Galaxy Note 4-like design in the third patent, implies that Samsung may be working on bringing some of its new design language to more budget-friendly series. Could Samsung have a budget-friendly Galaxy Note in the future that is a true Galaxy Note Edge with dual-curved edges? It certainly seems plausible, though with Samsung, patents are never guarantees.
And, for those who may find it interesting, it seems as though the trademark Samsung home button and headphone jack remain on these models, hinting at budget-friendly devices. One strong rumor says that Samsung is preparing to abandon the long-held home button in favor of a virtual home button in the upcoming Galaxy S8 and that the headphone jack could be ditched as well. If so, then these are new patents for more budget-friendly devices in Samsung's lineup.
We know little else for now, but the budget-friendly experience may take an interesting turn in 2017, indeed.
