Samsung patent describes a double-display smartphone

"Patent mining" has always been an interesting way to see what manufacturers may be cooking up in their respective portfolios. While most tech patents never see the light of day, they do provide some insight into developing technologies and trends.

The latest patent of interest pulled from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) details a Samsung smartphone with two side-by-side displays connected by a foldable portion between them as shown by the image on the right. While not a true foldable smartphone with bendable displays, the wallet-inspired design can potentially increase productivity and double the multi-tasking abilities of the device.

The discovery of the patent may have been timed for maximum impact as Chinese manufacturer ZTE recently made available its Axon M smartphone with a similar double-display concept. The fact that a conceptually similar device is already available from a competitor could mean a higher chance of seeing the Samsung concept come to life. Unfortunately, initial press reviews for the Axon M have been lukewarm at best because of the inherently heavy and cumbersome design. Samsung may simply be gauging user interest at this point to see whether or not it would be viable to move forward with a double-display Galaxy smartphone.

Samsung may still unveil new smartphone concepts come CES 2018. For now, however, the Galaxy X is remains unconfirmed and a potential surprise for an early CES or MWC reveal.

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