New Samsung patent shows smartphone with radical extendable display

Smartphones with either foldable or rollable OLED panels appear to be where a number of smartphone makers are expending the research dollars. While this era hasn't started quite as smoothly as had been hoped, it seems inevitable that these types of devices will become the norm in the next few years. A new Samsung patent has been uncovered for a future smartphone that would feature a rollable OLED display and the renders developed by Lets Go Digital based on the patent sketches look stunning.

In its regular state, the device looks like any other high-end smartphone on the market. However, it cleverly conceals a display that can be extended. The design appears to be quite sturdy even with the frame cleverly extending out with the display to ensure that it looks and feels like a regular tablet. Naturally, the UI would seamlessly adjust to fit the extended display so users can multitask more easily than they would on a regular smartphone display or enjoy entertainment content on a larger screen.

The rollable approach would have a distinct advantage over a foldable OLED panel as it would eliminate any sign of a crease in the display panel. Sony is rumored to be readying a smartphone with a rollable display for release in the next six months while LG unveiled a high-end TV with a rollable OLED panel at CES earlier this year that is due to go on sale soon. However, the one obvious downside with flexible OLED panels, as seen with the Galaxy Fold in its first iteration, is that they are necessarily soft which means they can be more easily prone to damage than regular glass-based smartphone displays.