Samsung appears ready to use its display technology experience to resolve some of its divisions’ “crisis.” Lately, the company’s patents have revealed projects they could be working on. The list includes tri-fold devices, foldable gaming handhelds, and rollable screen phones. A new patent from Samsung describes a tablet with a rollable screen.
Rollable screen technology is quite interesting for developing large-screen devices that are also portable. A previous patent from Samsung showed a smartphone that implemented such technology. This would allow the mobile device to obtain a square form factor, similar to that of the Galaxy Z Flip when folded.
New Samsung patent describes a tablet with a rollable screen
The new patent from the South Korean giant reveals that they have considered using the rollable screen technology in a tablet. The document, registered on November 26, 2024, includes sketches and descriptions of some of the key components of the product. According to the images, Samsung’s rollable tablet could be noticeably thicker than modern tablets. However, this might be necessary to house the hidden part of the display.
There are no more specific details about the dimensions of the device, so it is not clear if the sketches represent a compact tablet or one as large as the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Anyway, you can extend the left and right sides of the device to get a much larger screen. This will require a mechanism based on an internal motor to extend the hidden parts of the panel.
The 91mobiles report mentions that the tablet could automatically extend in certain use cases. However, there will probably also be a button that triggers the mechanism. The button should be present on some of the sides of the device. The sketches show the presence of a USB-C port and what appear to be pogo pin connectors to attach a keyboard accessory.
Samsung will invest more in innovation to overcome its crisis
As with every patent, there is no guarantee that Samsung will bring a foldable tablet to market. However, it shows that the company at least considered and dedicated time to it. During an investor meeting a few weeks ago, Samsung’s executives apologized to investors for disappointing financial results in certain divisions. They also revealed that investing more in innovation is part of their strategy to turn the situation around. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if we hear more about a rollable tablet in the near future.
