The Samsung Galaxy Flip has received some great feedback from the various reviewers who have used it, so much so that they are apparently looking at releasing another version later this year. A new patent filed by Samsung has revealed that they are looking at producing a flip phone with a stylus — yes, a Note Flip.
The new patent revealed by Patently Mobile has been granted to Samsung for a foldable version of the Galaxy Note smartphone. This is not the first time we have seen Samsung being granted a patent for a flip phone (as opposed to a foldable phone — ie. the Galaxy Fold) but this particular patent is actually for a “Foldable Galaxy Note” as can be seen in the images below.
By saying the patent is specifically is for a foldable Galaxy Note it includes a silo of sorts for the stylus to be inserted into and stored. The “pen receiver” includes a “pen fixing unit” to allow the stylus to be locked into place. Other diagrams also note that the silo includes a motor to control the folding and unfolding angle of the phone with the rotation angle being detected by an optical sensor.
Another notable part of the patent include an elastic arm to change how the display is folded and protected which results in a tensile force being applied to the flexible display to allow the display to spread flat and prevent the user being able to see the fold in the middle of the device.
There is also mention of a “restricting arm” which will also help the display to remain flat by restricting the movement of the frame of the device.
While it is a bit early you would think for Samsung to be thinking about releasing as Galaxy Note 20 Flip given the infancy of the form factor it is obviously something they are looking to release in the future. It is possible that within a couple of years every flagship device will not only come with an ultra premium candy bar design as well as a flip design which would suit a lot of people although we suspect the pricing would have to be a lot more competitive for it to be successful at the same levels as the more traditional devices.
I doubt we will see a foldable Galaxy Note 20 Flip this year but it would not surprise me that come 2021 we will see it arrive alongside the traditional Note phones. Who likes the idea of a Flip version of each flagship release? I know I do.
