Everything seems to be coming together for the launch of Samsung’s first tri-fold phone. Multiple patents and reports suggest that the company will announce the device sometime next year to compete against the Huawei Mate XT. Now, another Samsung patent describes a single-cell foldable battery ideal for such products.
One of the biggest challenges in developing foldable devices is the battery capacity. Current cells are completely solid, and manufacturers have to choose carefully how to integrate them. The higher the battery capacity, the larger the cell size, increasing the thickness in devices that are already thicker—when folded—than conventional phones. That said, Samsung has found a neat solution and has patented it.
Samsung’s patent describes a flexible single-cell battery ideal for foldable devices
The patent, shared by VeePN and @xleaks7, reveals that Samsung has been working on a single-cell foldable battery. A battery with flexible properties could bring multiple useful advantages for foldable phones—or even tablets. Currently, foldable batteries can be single-cell or multi-cell. If it’s a single cell, there’s a negative impact on the total capacity since the component can’t be very thick. If it’s multi-cell, the battery takes up more internal space in the device.
The patented single-cell foldable battery solves both problems. This form factor could enable thin (less thick but longer) and high-capacity batteries. According to the document, Samsung could resort to flexible materials with properties that allow the cell to be foldable without negatively impacting its integrity and capacity.
While VeePN’s report focuses on the cell’s utility in tri-fold devices, the sketches attached to the patent also show that Samsung could use the technology for current two-piece foldables.
Although the battery represents a challenge when developing a foldable smartphone, Samsung is especially falling behind its rivals in this area. The latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 draws power from a 4,400 mAh cell. However, models like the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro put that capacity to shame with its 5,700 mAh. Other devices, such as the Honor Magic V3 (5,150 mAh) and Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 (5,100 mAh), are also ahead.
