Sliding phones were popular during the non-touch cellphone era, which began more than a decade ago. Samsung appears to be considering returning to the slider smartphone design factor while adding a new twist with a transparent display.
Samsung had already patented a smartphone with a dual folding transparent display before the end of 2021. A patent was filed this week for another form factor, this time depending on transparent displays.
A sliding smartphone with a transparent display is depicted in a Samsung patent.
Back-to-back screen technology might be used on the transparent display.
In the patent, there are two types of sliding principles.
Transparent technology isn’t a brand-new concept. In fact, LG released the LG Crystal, a phone with a translucent glass keyboard, more than a decade ago.
But, of course, the phone’s keypad didn’t have a screen back then – and because of the high price, it was more of a niche product aimed for fashion.
In the future, will Samsung release a sliding phone called the Galaxy Z Slide?
The new Samsung patent, which was discovered in WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) files, depicts a sliding mechanism with a transparent screen that can be viewed from all sides.
The patent also mentions two different sorts of form factors in addition to the transparent display.
The initial form factor has a portrait orientation and a vertical sliding mechanism, similar to a typical smartphone.
When snapping a selfie with the device’s main cameras, the back-side is thought to be displaying a viewfinder image, as shown in the image above. Apart from the see-through feature, it’s plausible to assume that the display will use back-to-back screen technology.
The second form factor includes a horizontal sliding mechanism and a bigger display, most likely in a Z Fold form factor.
It looks a lot like the other concept phones with rollable OLED displays that we’ve seen in recent months and years, mostly from Samsung but also from other brands like Oppo.
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