by Luke Johnson 14 March 2015 |
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Flexible phones have long been tipped to be the future of the mobile space, and now Samsung looks to be making the move a reality.
Teasing the company’s future efforts, a patent filed by the Korean manufacturer has surfaced, highlighting Samsung’s work in the flexible phone space.
Spotted by PatentlyMobile, the intellectual property filing shows that the Galaxy S6 maker is working on a handset that pairs a flexible screen with a body that can be freely flexed both forwards and backwards.
Although details on exact materials are scarce, the patent designs have suggested the company’s flexi-phone could feature a series of interlocking panels.
Giving the phone stability and rigidity when straight, these panels can then unlock and slide when placed under pressure, letting the phone flex to users’ wishes.
Despite having only just come to light, the leaked patent filing is far from new. Samsung filed the application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office almost a year ago, in Q2 2014.
The patent refers to a fully flexible electronic device that features a flexible frame with a pre-determined radius of curve.
A direct rival to the CES unveiled LG G Flex 2, it is currently unclear when, or indeed if, the unnamed Samsung will make it to market.
Related: iPhone 6S release date
Although flexible phones have long been mooted as the future of the mobile space, the benefits of their introduction are still open for debate.
Similarly, the side-encompassing screen introduced on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in recent weeks has grabbed consumers’ attentions without really solving any existing issues.