Are we ready for a foldable watch?
Samsung and Huawei unveiled their respective versions of the foldable smartphone several months ago. None have been released to the public as of yet, although already there’s talk of another device with a foldable display.
IBM patented a device that closely resembles a wristwatch, but can extend to become the size of a smartphone and, at its largest, a tablet. The concept, in theory, sounds intriguing. This is what we know so far:
IBM’s patent for this devise is titled “Variable display size for an electronic display device.” Users would be able to expand the area of the display on the watch to one, two, four, or eight panels. Each panel is 3 x 2 inches, which makes the display area a total of 12 x 8 at its largest. The device has ports at the bottom for connectivity. The patent does not mention user experience or the manner in which the device would unfold.
The tech website LetsGoDigital first discovered the patent. It released mocked-up images based on the information in the patent so the public would have a clearer idea of what the device would look like if it came to fruition.
Getting excited? Don’t hold your breath. While this device would take foldable displays to an entirely new level, we may never see it released, at least not any time in the near future. IBM is the world’s largest patent holder – on its website, it claims it has led the U.S. in patent registrations for 26 years – and is famous/notorious for filing patents. In fact, IBM filed a whopping 9,100 patents in 2018!
Why, then, is this patent significant? Because many technologists believe foldable devices may be “the next big thing,” and IBM is clearly looking in this direction as well. The market has become a little less friendly to smartphone manufacturers.
Consumers are holding onto their smartphones for longer and have become increasingly less enthusiastic about upgrading to the latest model. Many believe the hefty price tag just isn’t worth the incremental upgrade. Consequently, Apple, Samsung and other leading phone manufacturers have seen sales lag in the last year.
The foldable phone, therefore, is an appealing concept. It’s different and it provides consumers with an entirely new experience – unique enough that they would be willing to shell out money for an upgrade.
The problem is that foldable devices are also a nightmare to create from an engineering standpoint. Reporters given early access to the Galaxy Fold – Samsung’s nearly $2,000 foldable phone – found defective or broken screens after removing the protective layer from the device, causing Samsung to postpone the Galaxy Fold’s launch. As of now, the company hasn’t given the public a shipping date.
Similarly, Huawei announced that it was delaying the launch of Mate X, its $2,600 foldable phone, until September. Apple, too, has filed numerous patents for foldable phones, but they haven’t announced – or even leaked – that they are currently working on one.
That’s because creating a viable foldable display is difficult. Samsung and Huawei both use screens made of plastic polymers. Plastic polymers are flexible enough to bend. However, they can also easily be scratched, blistered, creased or deformed.
Experts say that, while utilizing plastic polymers might bring a foldable device to the market sooner, the long-term solution is to utilize a more durable material such as glass – and that means finding a point where glass can be feasibly folded. A challenge, indeed.
Tech companies are pouring money and resources into foldable devices to develop the ideal screen – thick enough that it won’t break and thin enough that it’ll be flexible to fold repeatedly – and the race is on to see who will be first to develop something that truly captures the public’s imagination.