A preview of a preview. Take advantage of the Sunday morning news lull before the Monday onslaught. Samsung, Sony, and LG will have their CES 2024 news conference tomorrow.
This weekend, the business teased a “new generation of products that can be folded inward and outward,” including “monitor-sized” folding and sliding OLEDs. As expected, the former is called the “In&Out Flip.” The final bit is a reference to its flip phone form factor and may be a way to separate the product from a successful hamburger restaurant and a less popular 1997 Kevin Kline film.
The business will reveal more about the technology during tomorrow’s presser, although it seems to be in proof-of-concept. Sometimes these gadgets are evolutionary dead ends, but Samsung started the foldable phone trend a few years ago, so weirder things have occurred.
In a statement, the business stated that In&Out Flip may provide a new option for customers who like bar-shaped smartphones owing to the foldable product thickness. “The product’s front and back can be used as screens when folded outward, creating a new user experience.”
Current foldable gadgets include external screens, but the technique aims to eliminate them. Removal of the secondary screen would reduce the product’s size.
Samsung reportedly tested the gadget from -4°F to 140°F. The crew dipped the screens in water, brushed sand on them, then bounced basketballs on them, which sounds fun.
A rollable display is also on exhibit in Vegas this week. The Rollable Flex and Flex Hybrid, which have a sliding display, use the technology. The event also featured an undisclosed display-equipped earbud case. There is no indication on when or if such goods will be released, but I wouldn’t expect them at the Galaxy S24 launch.