The Galaxy Note 10 series has been officially introduced, and so is already cautiously awaited Samsung’s next top model. The new S-series models are expected at the beginning of 2020. There will probably be another 3 units released; the Samsung Galaxy S11e, the S11, and the S11 Plus, the latter being the top smartphone model.
The S8, S9, and S10 were quite similar in design, it is expected that the new S-series models will get an innovative design again. Would the Korean manufacturer really dare to opt for innovation this time?
Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus smartphone with slider display
On February 21, 2019, Samsung Electronics filed a utility patent with the USPTO (the United States Patent and Trademark Office) for an “electronic device including a movable flexible display.” The patent was published on August 29, 2019, and shows a smartphone with a retractable screen.
When folded, you have a compact device that you can easily put in your pocket. From the design, you can see that this smartphone will consist of premium materials. It is a unique device. The device has a beautifully rounded screen, as we are used to from the Galaxy S and Note series. This time, however, it is a so-called ‘waterfall display’, in which the screen extends even further, halfway to the side.
Remarkably enough, there is a narrow metal frame border on the side of this phone. This frame does not extend all the way to the top. The upper part shows a strongly rounded display. So there is partly a metal border around it as this model is a slider phone.
One of the unique features of this device is the ability to pull out the screen. By making a sliding movement upwards, an extra screen part appears, from the bottom of the device. A drive shaft is placed in the housing, around which the flexible screen can bend, allowing the display to roll in and out.
When you slide the smartphone all the way up, you suddenly have a larger screen surface, the difference in display size is roughly 25%. The large screen is useful when scrolling through web pages or watching a video, but of course also when playing a mobile game.
The frame on the side of Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus smartphone does not move with it. When pulled out, the rounded display part becomes larger. Now you may be wondering; how can this device have a rounded flexible display and can also be rolled out via the bottom? Those folding lines must contrast with each other, finally, you can never roll-up / fold a screen on four sides at the same time, then the screen will always show wrinkling lines in the corners.
Samsung has come up with an ingenious solution for this. Only the upper part of the screen has a waterfall display. You cannot see this, because the frame border is cleverly placed for this. The lower screen part is just flat, making it relatively easy to roll in and out. If you extend the entire screen, the upper waterfall screen section can be used to scroll through app icons, among other things.
To use the cameras on the back you have to pull the device out completely. In its most compact form, the cameras are hidden in the housing, so the camera system remains optimally protected when you carry the phone with you. The lenses also remain better protected and will get dirty less quickly.
For the speaker and the front camera, space has been created in the upper screen border. In addition, we see a single camera and a flash on the back. However, it is clearly stated in the patent description that it can involve multiple camera lenses, both at the front and rear.
Since Samsung nowadays supplies its top models with at least 3 and sometimes even 4 cameras on the back, it seems likely – if the Korean producer decides to actually release this mobile device – this model will also have an advanced camera system.
For the product renders that LetsGoDigital has designed based on the patent sketches, we have decided to integrate 3 cameras, as is the case with the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus. We used the patent sketches for the front camera. The S10+ also has a double punch-hole camera, so it is quite possible that Samsung decides to implement an extra camera at the front.
A few control buttons are placed both on the left and on the right. In addition, the bottom has the required connectors. It is a very detailed patent, in which it is clearly explained how this slider phone is technically constructed.
Chinese manufacturers are expected to introduce a smartphone with a waterfall display in the coming period. The first model was introduced today in the form of the Vivo Nex 3. Samsung also reportedly worked on such a highly rounded screen, but this project seems to have ended up in the refrigerator. However, this does not mean that the Koreans have no other innovative intentions.
Finally, Samsung is a leading display manufacturer. The company has been working for years on prototypes of various types of flexible screens. To keep the S-series attractive for longer, the company will have to present a real successor. It is possible that this will actually happen with the Samsung Galaxy S11 Plus. Finally, companies need to work innovatively to stay healthy.
Innovation also causes market shifts. In recent years, for example, you can see that Chinese smartphone producers are on the rise, their strategy is simple: innovation at a lower price. If Samsung wants to call itself the best smartphone manufacturer in the world for a long time, then it is hard to keep up with this trend.
With the Galaxy Fold, Samsung has shown that the company is capable of developing a foldable phone. But these futuristic devices are currently far too expensive for the average consumer. It will certainly take several years before everyone with a folding phone in their pocket.
You can buy the Galaxy S10 Plus for a starting price of € 1,000 (128 GB / standard color). The suggested retail price of Samsung’s foldable phone is more than twice as high; € 2,020. The patented device could fall nicely in terms of price, being the Galaxy S11 Plus. Or are we going too fast and do we have to wait a year longer before the Galaxy S12 is introduced?
