How will a foldable smartphone work?

Samsung has already admitted that foldable smartphones were on their way and with all the rumours circulating the internet and patents being filed it does seem like it’s only a matter of time before we can get our hands on these devices. 

Just weeks ago did the rumours suggesting that the Galaxy X would be Samsung’s first foldable smartphone which will supposedly be released in 2017 and only last week, Samsung showed off the image above of the new flexible and rollable devices. This just adds to all the evidence leaning towards the release of the foldable smartphone and what it will look like.

Now, a patent has come to light which once again suggests that a foldable smartphone is on the horizon. According to Patently Mobile, the device is set to be part of the Samsung Galaxy range, comes with a camera on the back, a front fingerprint sensor and can fold in half. 

The screen will also fold around the hinge to allow you to fold up your phone and stick it in your pocket.

The patent application also shows us how the device will be charged. Rather than having the charging port on the bottom of the device, the port will be found on the outer hinge, which when closed will be visible. The patent also shows us that it will come with a docking station that you can slot your folded phone into when it needs to be charged.

Obviously this will stop you from being able to use the device while it is charging but it should save component space.

With smartphone’s growing bigger and bigger, a flexible screen that allows users to fold them up and store in small pockets or purses will be great for the day to day usability.

The Galaxy X which is rumoured to be the first foldable smartphone released by Samsung is said to be released in 2017, so we still have a while to wait until we can get our hands on these innovative devices.