A series of new designs gives a hint of what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will look like when it launches next year, and they could signal a serious evolution in foldable phones.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip have only one foldable component. But these renders, made and published by Pigtou and xleaks, show how a next generation Galaxy Z Fold could have a double hinge design, effectively giving it a lot more folding potential.
We reported earlier this month on a patent registered by Samsung for foldable devices, which is the source of Pigtou’s renderers. Both concepts feature multiple hinges to allow for even larger screens and additional versatility, but they do so in two different ways.
The first consists of a larger central display with two smaller displays connected to the left and right, one of which is double-sided. It allows the same fully open or fully closed use as the existing Galaxy Z Fold, but you can also partially open it. This would be good for use with one hand or to access the unique array of four cameras in selfie mode with a larger viewfinder.
Pigtou’s design has some license with the patent illustrations. For example, it adds a piercing selfie camera, identical to the current Galaxy Z Fold, on the cover. There are also speakers built into the two outer sheets of the phone to allow for a premium stereo experience.
The second design is a real Z-shaped foldable with three identical sized pieces. It has a large internal screen and a smaller external screen, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 2. However, as the hinges open in different directions and the screen surrounds one of the hinges, you can effectively use the phone in four different sizes. That sounds great, but it means the phone would be too thick to handle the three screens.
At the rear, the Z-shaped concept uses the same set of cameras as the first design, as well as a perforated screen on the front screen. As Pigtou also suggests using a third of the Z-shaped phone as a keyboard or using the first design in a ‘tent’ mode as a convertible laptop, it appears that they are imagining that these concepts will use a similar “Flex Mode” to the Galaxy Z Flip. This mode allows the phone’s hinge to remain open in positions other than simply open or closed.
In 2021, we will probably see a sequence of both Samsung’s current foldables, which we assume will be called Galaxy Z Flip 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3. The original Galaxy Z Flip debuted alongside the Galaxy S20 in February.
But the lack of leaks combined with other rumors made us suspect that both the Galaxy Z Flip 2 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will debut together in the fall of 2021. It’s a waiting time, but at least there is the Samsung Galaxy S21 coming in January for Help us.