Samsung is the largest manufacturer of foldable devices, but so far it has limited itself exclusively to smartphones, on Fold and Flip. But it seems the expansion of other brands into the portable laptop area is now forcing the South Korean company to respond. In 2023, Samsung could launch a 17″ foldable screen laptop, similar to ASUS’ Zenbook Fold.
Samsung’s plan was to introduce this technology to its offering as early as 2022
According to The Elec, Samsung is currently working on the worst foldable screen device in its portfolio. While in the past foldable phones have incorporated screens as large as 7.6″, the new device will feature a huge 17.3″ screen that can be used in multiple ways. As we’ve already seen on the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold, Samsung’s new device will be able to be opened up completely to provide a huge 17″ screen, or it will be able to be used only halfway, like a 13″ laptop, alongside a keyboard.
Samsung was reportedly preparing to launch this product in 2022, but for unknown reasons, it was pushed back to next year. In the meantime, however, similar models equipped with screens from competitors have already appeared.
Both the Lenovo Thinkpad 1 Fold and the Zenbook Fold use foldable screens from Chinese company BOE, suggesting that Samsung has faced production problems. ASUS is already Samsung’s partner for OLED screens on laptops, so we’d expect the Taiwanese manufacturer to still turn to Samsung for foldable ones.
There are also rumors of a foldable laptop from HP that uses LG screens, but that model will be developed in limited quantities. A production run of only 10,000 units is expected for the first generation.
The fact is that more and more companies are entering the foldable laptop area, and Samsung doesn’t seem to want to miss this train, even though the company already announced the rollable laptop concept with Intel just a few months ago.