At present, Samsung has officially confirmed the end of the Galaxy Note series, and Samsung's folding screen series products have replaced its new product release in the second half of each year.
According to this, Samsung has placed great expectations on folding screen products. However, Samsung's exploration of product appearance has not stopped, and related design patents have appeared many times recently.
The latest news shows that Samsung filed a patent in July 2021 for "methods and devices for operating electronic devices with flexible display functions." This document was released on November 18, 2021, and recently revealed a set of rendered images.
The patent schematic shows that the phone has a large flexible display that covers the front, side and back of the phone. This surround screen design has also been used by the Xiaomi MIX Alpha before.
A relatively wide frame edge can be seen at the top of the fuselage, which can accommodate the necessary sensor and camera components. The device doesn't have a side space that can be used to place physical buttons, so its power button is located on the top frame.
The device's physical volume keys have been replaced by virtual keys, a design that has previously been seen in production models.
The document also mentions the possibility of installing virtual game keys and shoulder keys. Among them, the shoulder button is located on the side screen of the device and can be easily used when playing landscapely.
The focus of this patent is on the control option, which displays icons and shortcuts on the screen on the right. At the same time, status symbols such as time, battery indicator, and network strength can be displayed on the side screen. For right-handed and left-handed users, the device also offers a left-right rotation function to ensure a better operating experience.
As for image shooting, the relevant revelations assume that it is equipped with a front camera and three rear cameras equivalent to Samsung's current high-end models. Since there are displays on both sides of the phone, cameras on both sides can be used for selfies as well as regular photo and video recording.
In addition, Samsung also mentioned in the documentation that product support solutions such as possible integrated projector/hologram functions, wireless charging applications, etc. In terms of the details mentioned in the patented design, this new product will bring about a full range of product experience upgrades.
However, whether the patent will be applied will need to wait for further information to confirm.