Samsung shows off clamshell-styled foldable phone concept

Foldable phones on the market now are designed to increase screen real estate by opening like a book, but what if a foldable phone had a more traditional clamshell design? Samsung showed off this idea in a concept video at its developer conference today, and it may be the future for Samsung’s foldable phones.

Hyesoon Jeong, Samsung’s framework research and design lead, spoke to the crowd at the conference about the new design:

This brand-new form factor that we’re now exploring will not only easily fit in your pocket, but it also changes the way you use your phone…. As a pioneer in the foldable category, we understand that every innovative form factor requires an equally innovative user experience.

At this point, the concept is merely that: a concept. However, it could be a better form factor for future smartphones as it makes for a more compact package when folded up.

Samsung isn’t the only one putting stock into that form factor. Rumors have been flying all year about Motorola developing a clamshell-style foldable bearing the RAZR moniker. That device may release later this year, paving the way for a competing form factor in the budding foldable phone market.

Either way you cut it, it seems that foldable displays are the future. While the technology has several wrinkles to iron out, it shows promise. The fact that several major OEMs have invested significant resources into foldable display technology shows that the screens are here to stay, at least for now.