There have been a lot of rumors about a folding Samsung phone - known as the Galaxy X - over the years, and patents have even given us an idea of how it might look.
But now we've got an idea of how the interface on this bendy phone might work, as GalaxyClub has come across a patent application showing a Samsung interface for a folding phone.
The accompanying images show a screen that folds in half, each section of which can contain a different home screen or menu, in portrait or landscape.
That’s as opposed to just giving you one screen and making it bigger or smaller, so the focus seems to be on fitting more on the display when the Galaxy X is unfolded.
As well as just two home screens, other examples show a list of contacts on one screen and someone’s contact card on the other, or the viewfinder for the front-facing camera on one display and for the rear one on the other, or a game on the front and the touchscreen controls for it on the rear.
Two screens are better than one
It also looks from the images like Samsung envisages having two screens (perhaps with a hinge in the middle), rather than a continuous folding display - in the same vein as the ZTE Axon M.
You could then either have the two screens side by side for a larger display, or fold it over so one screen is on the front of the phone and the other on the back. Some images also show the handset being folded in such a way that it can stand itself up.
However, it’s worth noting that the patent was filed in early 2016, and as such the interface is more in the style of a Galaxy S6 or Samsung Galaxy S7.
So it’s a bit dated and therefore the actual look of this interface almost certainly won’t make it to the Samsung Galaxy X - but some of the functionality, focus on fitting more on the screen and the design of the phone could.
And we might not even have too much longer to wait, as Samsung’s mobile boss has previously said the company is aiming for a 2018 launch for the Galaxy X.
- Apple is also rumored to be working on a folding phone
