Samsung shows off unique foldable and rollable display tech at CES 2024
What you need to know
Samsung showcased new folding display concepts at CES 2024, including an in-and-out folding phone and a foldable with a rollable display.
The In&Out Flip is a flip-style foldable that can fold its display 360 degrees, allowing use of the main display while closed.
The Rollable Flex can unroll to become up to five times larger than its original size, working like a physical scroll.
We've seen a lot of cool innovations at CES 2024 already, and like usual, Samsung Display is at the top of the list of new folding screen concepts. Samsung has a few neat offerings to show off at CES, but the two show-stoppers are the In&Out Flip and the Rollable Flex display.
Put simply, the In&Out Flip is what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 would be like if you could flip it inside and out. There isn't a cover screen on the In&Out Flip because it doesn't need one: the main display on the In&Out Flip can fold 360 degrees, allowing it to be both an internal and external display at once.
For a few reasons, having a single foldable display that can be folded 360 degrees makes for a much thinner smartphone form factor. This is huge because current Z Flip and Fold devices are still about as thick as two-slab smartphones. Samsung says that this technology might be what finally entices fans of traditional smartphones to switch to a foldable one.
You might be worried about durability, considering that Samsung's past foldable phones have had a few issues. Samsung said that it has tested the In&Out Flip with many scenarios, from bouncing basketballs on the screens to placing them underwater.
In&Out Flip might have the most potential of any CES offering, but it likely has a long way to go before becoming a retail product (if it ever does).
Then there's the Rollable Flex, which is a device that we're not sure how to describe. Samsung clearly doesn't know how to describe it either since it simply calls it "a unique device." Regardless, the Rollable Flex has an expandable display that can become up to five times larger than its original size.
Rollable Flex is far from the first rollable display concept, but the cool part is in Flex Hybrid devices. These products can fold and extend, which seems to be a superior way to provide a lot of screen space in a compact form factor. However, all those moving parts might be worrying from a durability and repair perspective.
Whether these concepts are practical or not, it's cool to see what Samsung Display is working on behind the scenes. Who knows, the tech could appear in the best foldable phones in a few years.
