How about a tablet that can fold in half and be used as a phone? Samsung claims the screen can slide out to give you even more visual space. The Flex Hybrid concept Samsung is showcasing at CES 2023 will likely remain more of a concept than a practical product for some time due to a number of practical issues.
Flex Hybrid is a “smart mobile device” prototype. It’s the first one we’ve seen that combines two sorts of unique screen tech: folding displays, which we already know and mainly adore in phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and newer “slidable” panels that Samsung has been showing at trade events for the past year.
Like the Fold series, the Flex Hybrid’s left side unfolds. If you want a larger screen, you can expand it from a 10.5-inch 4:3 display to a 12.4-inch 16:10 display by pulling out the right side.
Read also: Samsung Unveils Foldables Galaxy Series
The Flex Hybrid is a do-it-all mobile gadget, which is something we could only imagine a few years ago. But there’s reason to think we’ll need to keep daydreaming about it for a little longer.
Samsung hasn’t divulged the display’s specs or which items would employ the technology, so the idea is definitely still in the early stages. At CES 2022, Samsung demonstrated its Flex G and S screens, which could fold twice in two directions but are not yet consumer-ready.
Solo and Duet Flex Slidable
Samsung would certainly need to improve its display technology before combining them in a multipurpose tablet. Samsung will show two 17-inch laptop sliders at CES 2023.
The Flex Slidable Solo can grow in one direction, and the Flex Slidable Duet can stretch in both directions to produce a 17.3-inch display from a 13–14-inch tablet for gaming or watching movies.
Folding is still refined. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4’s crease is still visible and can be felt when you run your finger across the screen, but we love it. Before Samsung launches sliding foldables, this might be improved.
In the current economic scenario, most tech lovers can’t justify buying foldable. For instance, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 costs $1,799, £1,649, or AU$2,499. However interesting, adding a sliding component to the display will raise the price.
Given foldables’ durability concerns and Android tablet apps’ existing limits, a Flex Hybrid won’t be a viable product for years. We’ll try to find one at CES 2023 if it exists, and we’ll be first in line to try it.