Samsung’s Flex In and Out Concept Hints at Foldables That Bend Backwards

Samsung has demonstrated a new foldable screen technology at CES 2024 that would allow a clamshell-style foldable smartphone to not only open and shut like a regular flip phone, but also bend over backwards. The 360-degree ‘Flex In & Out’ display is claimed to be durable and would eliminate the need for an external display to show off content, as the inner screen will allow users to access their information when the device is folded shut, according to the South Korean tech conglomerate.

At CES 2024, Samsung showed off its new ‘Flex In & Out’ concept device with a foldable screen with a form factor similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 5. However, while the company’s latest clamshell-style foldable phone has an external display, this smartphone is capable of folding both forwards and backwards. The 360-degree folding display allows you to interact with content on the screen even when it is folded.

Samsung also states that the panels used in the foldable device underwent several durability tests. The company claims that it folded the panels in extreme temperatures ranging between -20 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius, and rubbed them with sand and immersed them in water. Samsung says that it also bounced basketballs on the foldable panels as part of the durability testing process.

The South Korean smartphone maker is yet to announce any plans to integrate the new ‘Flex In & Out’ display technology in a future Galaxy Z Flip smartphone. A folding phone with a single display would eliminate the need to configure an outer display separately from the home screen, while potentially allowing the use of more apps when the display is folded shut.

Other display concepts shown off by Samsung at CES 2024 included the Rollable Flex display that can be expanded up to five times its original size — this scroll-like screen technology was first demonstrated by the company in May 2023. Bezel-less Rollable Flex smartphones are tipped to go into mass production in 2025, which means we could see phones equipped with this technology arrive as soon as next year.