Samsung Patent Reveals Ambitious 360° Foldable Phone Design
Samsung may be preparing to revolutionize the foldable phone market yet again, with a new patent that showcases a device capable of folding both inward and outward. The patent, recently published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), outlines a sleek, ultra-thin foldable phone design with a 360-degree hinge system. This dual-folding mechanism allows the device to open into a tablet-sized display or fold backwards to function as a secondary cover screen—potentially eliminating the need for an additional outer display altogether.
According to the filing, labeled US 2025/0107013 A1, the phone features a large flexible screen with two distinct folding areas. These hinge points enable the screen to bend in either direction, offering more versatility than the single-direction fold seen in current Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models. The diagrams included in the application reveal how the flexible display can contour smoothly along the device’s frame, suggesting that Samsung has made notable progress in flexible display durability and hinge engineering.
This isn’t Samsung’s first flirtation with dual-folding concepts. Back in 2023, the company unveiled a prototype capable of similar 360-degree folding at tech expos, but no commercial product ever emerged from that concept. The reappearance of this idea in an official patent may signal renewed interest from the company in pushing this design closer to production, although Samsung has not yet announced any plans to launch a device based on this technology.
If brought to market, a phone with full 360-degree folding capability could dramatically simplify foldable phone design by merging both inner and outer displays into a single flexible panel. It could also pave the way for thinner and lighter foldable phones, potentially giving Samsung a significant edge in the next generation of mobile hardware innovation.