Samsung is reportedly working on a new tablet featuring an expandable screen. The South Korean tech giant has submitted a patent application for a tablet case equipped with a flexible screen that can expand on the same plane. Notably, this display can be extended independently in two directions, allowing users greater control over the display size. According to Samsung, this design addresses the issue of consumers having to choose between small and large displays.

Samsung has published a patent application on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website, with the publication number WO/2024/150990. The application, filed by Samsung Electronics, includes a series of drawings and descriptions detailing the tablet’s expandable display mechanism.

According to the application, Samsung’s flexible and expandable screen technology is designed to address the limitations of foldable smartphones. While foldable phones allow users to reduce the device’s size, they only offer two modes: a single screen (folded) and a dual screen (unfolded), limiting users to a fixed screen size.

Samsung proposes a novel design for a tablet-shaped shell that can expand and contract along the same plane, using a flexible screen. This expansion is achieved through a guide unit and a drive unit. The drawings illustrate a diagonal mechanism inside the device, enabling the display to expand in any direction. This expansion can occur in both directions simultaneously or in one direction at a time, providing users with greater control over the display size.

 

Samsung’s Next Tablet: 4-Side Expanding Screen: The drive unit is detailed as a transmission system, featuring 10 gears on the base shell, 10 gears on the first side shell, 5 gears on the second side shell, 6 gears on the third side shell, and 7 gears on the fourth side shell. These gears work in unison to control the display’s magnification. The patent application specifies that the guide assembly is “configured to simultaneously accommodate an additional flexible screen” when the case is collapsed and to release it when the case is expanded.

While this patent introduces a new form factor for consumers, it is important to remember that patent applications do not guarantee the development of a device. Even after the patent is granted, Samsung may take several years to release the design to the public.