Samsung is getting ahead of the world of foldable smartphones because at CES 2023, the Korean giant showed off what it calls the Flex Hybrid. The prototype is an OLED tablet that can fold and roll, turning into a device you can easily stow away when it’s not needed and expand its width when you want to get work done. Watch it in action here.
Flex Hybrid can expand your display using some of the drivers inside
Samsung Display employees at the company’s CES 2023 booth were present to show off the Flex Hybrid prototype. The manufacturer hasn’t said when the tablet will go into mass production for commercial use, but its idea for the future looks promising, assuming it can be made at a reasonable price.
We have some demo videos from both Sleepy Kuma and CNET’s David Katzmaier to show you how the prototype works. The interesting aspect of the Flex Hybrid is that its rollable functionality is not limited to when the board is folded. A small portion of the screen expands, even as it refers to a compact book-like form factor.
삼성 디스플레이 플렉스 하이브리드
접을 수도, 늘릴 수도 있음
10.5 인치 4: 3 비율 의 디스플레이, 펼친 상태 에서 늘리면 12.4
16:10 비울의 디스플레이 로 변함 pic.twitter.com/WKx3QSQexY– Sleepy Kuma (@Kuma_Sleepy) January 5, 2023
Samsung Display hasn’t released any information about what kind of specs the Flex Hybrid will feature, but we were able to identify three slots for the rear camera lens and how its panel will behave. When fully opened, the OLED tablet sports a 10.5-inch screen, and with roll-out enabled through the use of motors, at least that’s what we can tell by listening to the audio, the screen size expands to 12.4 inches when measured diagonally.
Samsung’s Flex Hybrid OLED display tablet prototype is in action #CES2023 pic.twitter.com/F7yXNANI45
– David Katzmaier (@dkatzmaier) January 4, 2023
The Flex Hybrid has an aspect ratio of 16:10 when fully unfolded and rolled, so users will see an increase in vertical screen real estate for improved productivity. At this point, Samsung has not commented on when something like this will be available to consumers. If so, we assume it will be an expensive product as Samsung will likely invest millions in research and development over several years. Regardless, we’re looking forward to what will be in consumers’ hands a few years from now.