Imagine you could have a standard phone — like an iPhone XS or a Galaxy S9 — that you could fold vertically to put into your pocket. This is what the Korean company seems to be working on, judging by its latest patent.

(Image credit: Concept Creator)

According to Mysmartprice, the patent shows a phone with a design that is in line with Samsung’s current phones: slim and not bulky at all, but with a pronounced hinge, like the concept video of its Galaxy F foldable phone-to-tablet device:

The patent focuses on the hinge mechanism and the flexible electronics that will make this type of flip phone possible.

(Image credit: Samsung/USPTO/mysmartprice)

Since Samsung and Google seem committed to make foldable phones a reality in the long run, it’s logical to think that new foldable designs beyond the one announced at Samsung's developer conference will emerge, as the Korean company tests the waters of this completely new market.

MORE: Samsung Unveils Foldable Phone: Meet Infinity Flex

A flip phone that expands to a regular size smartphone could be a lot more attractive to some users than the Galaxy F’s phone-to-tablet design.



Samsung/USPTO/mysmartprice

What is clear, judging from all these patents, is that DJ Koh and his minions look like they want to fold pretty much everything.



Motorola also has a patent that aims to resuscitate the Razr, the sleek flip phone that was all the rage in the aughts. We don’t know if this will end happening in a real product but, if Samsung or Motorola can manage to make that curve into something smaller, I’m game for the return of the flip phone.