Samsung Galaxy X folded smartphone revealed in patent images

Forget Galaxy S8, the foldable Galaxy X is the real deal with Samsung mobile!

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Samsung is reportedly working on a foldable smartphone that will replace its existing flip range. Samsung recently published a patent with renders of a phone that folds into half from the middle. Sounding rather futuristic, the device is expected to hit the market somewhere in 2017.

In April, Samsung filed a patent with the Korean Intellectual Property Office for a foldable smartphone. The application has been picked up by Dutch website Galaxy Club, revealing a slim device that can actually bend. Samsung describes the device as something that can be "folded or unfolded semi automatically."

Samsung and LG are spearheading the future of bendable smartphones, but after the Galaxy Note7 debacle, Samsung might be working to ensure there is no battery issue. Samsung's biggest asset with plans for bendable devices is the availability of bendable OLED displays and the patent hints at use of a secondary display that is supposed to activate when the device is folded.

The International Business Times UK reports that the device will be Galaxy X, and host an interesting set of hinge mechanisms. The patent shows a hinge very similar to the dynamic fulcrum hinge available on Microsoft Surface Book.

Samsung already has grand plans for 2017 with the Galaxy S8 rumoured to launch with a dedicated virtual assistant, and Note7 getting a non-exploding successor. Samsung might not announce the device next year, but it is an interesting showcase of technology prowess by Samsung Electronics.