Samsung, one of the self-proclaimed kings of foldable phones, would like to remind you that it could do the same for laptops with the Flex Note.
Asus previously introduced a 17-inch foldable Windows tablet earlier in the week, and the Flex Note appears to be cut from the same fabric. Samsung’s video describes it as an OLED display that folds down to a 13-inch form factor, then unfolds into a 17-inch display. Samsung hasn’t put a price on the concept, or said if or when it will be produced.
However, with phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold being around two years old already, we have no doubts that Samsung could ship a device like this if it wants to. (We even think Samsung’s foldable phone makes you better at fantasy football.)
Yet foldable PCs have become the white whale of the laptop industry. Intel’s foldable Horseshoe Bend concept and Surface Neo appear and then disappear months later. On the flip side, Intel’s own brand Evo anticipates an increase in foldable PCs by preparing a foldable specification that will debut in 2022. Given Intel’s close relationship with its partners, it makes sense that Something arrives in the collapsible space. Our question is, if they come, why weren’t they announced many at CES? Samsung’s announcement also emerged from its display division, not its PC business. All these questions call for a simple answer.
There is another quirk to note. Microsoft’s “delayed” Surface Neo comes with a physical keyboard, and neither Asus nor Samsung have shown a keyboard sleeve or a way to avoid tapping your fingers on the glass over the course of a day. One of the quirks of Apple’s original iPad is that Apple let reporters who took notes on an iPad get to the front rows of press conferences, up close to CEO Steve Jobs, and everything else. product. It might have been good back then, but our partners at Macworld started collecting the best iPad keyboards several years ago – something to remember as foldable Windows tablets progressively advance.
Until we start seeing foldables and using them, we still don’t know if they’ll be more useful than a traditional clamshell PC. But at least Asus is committed to a product. Concepts like the Flex Note and the Lenovo X1 Fold can’t be too exciting if we’re wondering if they’ll ever get shipped.
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As senior editor of Crumpa, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other things. He previously wrote for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.
