The folding laptop was recently revived, but Samsung might be thinking of taking it to a new level. Recently patented by the company is a “multi-foldable electronic device that hints at a concept laptop that folds down the middle width-wise, like a book.
Filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 2, 2021, and released on January 13, 2022, the foreign-language patent was spotted by LetsGoDigital. It shows images of how this concept laptop might work. Instead of folding length-wise at the top with a hinge, this laptop also folds down the middle of both the screen and keyboard and into a more compact block. This looks to be aimed at portability and being more natural for the user, similar to how the Galaxy Z Fold 3 opens up and closes.
So far on other folding laptops, the space for the entire second half of the folding display has mainly been used for keyboards or touch controls. It looks as though Samsung’s concept keeps the keyboard on at all times, and the keyboard itself folds over with the laptop. It’s more about folding the physical laptop to make it compact than it is about having dual-screen space. There’s also the possibility that the display could be extra-wide, too, for added productivity.
Samsung’s patent also shows how the internal components would be positioned. The system’s chips appear to be placed at both halves of the fold, with a battery on the left and a battery on the right. Other additional circuits for the touchpad, keyboard, and power are also positioned on each side. As for the processor, it looks to be housed on the left side. There is even a space for an audio player and audio controls for media. And for keeping the laptop closed during travel, there’s a clip and a series of magnets under the keyboard.
This is definitely one of the most unique patents for a folding laptop thus far, but patents don’t always turn into a final product. Samsung, though, is known for its wild ideas and concepts. At the 2022 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, the company showcased the ARK, a 55-inch curved OLED display that can rotate vertically
