A screen that bends both ways?

The world of foldable phones is surprisingly stagnant. The Galaxy Z Fold gets a tiny little upgrade every year, and rival phone brands loosely copy Samsung’s homework. But a new Samsung Display prototype called the “Flex In & Out” could turn this narrative on its head.

Foldable phones usually have a 180-degree hinge, meaning that they can only open to a flat tablet-like form factor. But the “Flex In & Out” prototype has a 360-degree hinge—you can bend it completely backwards, the same way that you might fold Microsoft’s dual-screen Surface Duo.

This prototype actually debuted during CES 2023. But it didn’t receive enough coverage, so Samsung Display reached out to The Verge to share some info and images. As explained by The Verge, this  “Flex In & Out” prototype uses a “water-drop hinge,” which puts much less stress on the foldable display than Samsung’s typical “U-shaped hinge.”

As a result, the “Flex In & Out” doesn’t have a prominent crease in its screen (I suspect that a crease will grow more obvious with continuous use). Additionally, the “Flex In & Out” has a fairly small air gap when closed, which should provide an increase in durability.

Note that this is not the first “Flex In & Out” concept device. Samsung Display showed off a prototype phone with the same name back in 2021. That said, the old “Flex In & Out” was a brochure-styled foldable and looks completely different from the new prototype.

We hope that Samsung integrates this technology in the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which should launch in September or August of 2023. If you’re planning to buy a foldable this year, we suggest that you wait until the Galaxy Z Fold 5 reveal, as the “Flex In & Out” looks like a massive improvement over previous foldables.

Source: Samsung Display via The Verge