SEOUL, Jan 8, 2026, 19:46 (KST)
- Samsung filed a design patent showing a flip phone with no fixed “front” or “back” when closed
- Sketches show two similar outer panels and a circular cut-out that could house a camera or sensor
- Mobile chief TM Roh has said foldables are growing slower than expected, but could go mainstream in two or three years
Samsung Electronics has filed a design patent for a flip-style foldable phone that appears to fold with either outer face on display, based on drawings published on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s database. The filing, spotted by gadget site XpertPick, shows a clamshell-style handset with no obvious “front” or “back” when shut. Xpertpick
The sketches matter because the race in flip-style foldables has largely turned into a contest over the outside: bigger cover screens, more ways to use the phone without opening it, and fewer compromises. Android Headlines said Samsung’s design points in a different direction — a closed device that looks and feels similar whichever side is facing up.
Samsung mobile chief T M Roh said this week the foldable-phone market has been “growing slower than expected,” blaming engineering complexity and a shortage of apps suited to folding screens, but he expects the segment to go mainstream in the next two or three years. Samsung held nearly two-thirds of the foldable smartphone market in the third quarter of 2025, according to Counterpoint, and faces rising pressure from Chinese brands such as Huawei. Thedailystar
In the drawings, both outer panels look similar in size and shape, suggesting either side could face outward depending on how the device is folded. Techlusive said the sketches also show a circular cut-out on one outer panel, alongside what appears to be an LED flash, and described the hinge as a 360-degree design that would allow inward or outward folding.
Gadgets360 said the proposed concept does not show a dedicated cover screen or a fixed rear panel in the folded position, a departure from today’s flip phones that typically pair a small outer display with a plain back. The outlet cautioned the filing is a design patent and does not signal a commercial launch.
