We’ve seen quite a few leaks regarding the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 lately, perhaps too many and a lot of brave ones. We’ve heard that the device has an extra screen on the hinge, it may receive a thicker UTG panel, in order to properly interact with a stylus. We also heard about a pop up camera also making it to the package, or maybe even an under display camera. Now there’s a theory that says Samsung may bring an extra hing here and also a sliding QWERTY keyboard.
Of course Letsgodigital is the one with the scoop, having scored first a patent and then a bunch of renders of the device. This is the creation of industrial designer Sarang Sheth, an editor in chief at Yanko Design. What we’re seen here is a dual hinge device, that can turn from a smartphone into a tablet and also has a slide out QWERTY keyboard. It many ways, it feels like a Nokia Communicator on steroids. Samsung Display is the one who applied for this patent, but there’s no guarantee it will actually turn into a product.
As usual, I’ll keep repeating the same thing I always say: more moving parts mean more fragility and make the device prone to breakage. I also get why we’d need two hinges a sliding keyboard. First the foldables replaced phones and tablets. Now they’re going for 10 inch tablets and if you add keyboards, they also kill ultrabooks. Honestly, instead of a sliding keyboard I’d have a keyboard case like the ones Samsung launched for the Galaxy Note Edge.
The keyboard is also pretty interesting here, seemingly a capacitive one, or virtual one even, so we may actually get an extra screen. The end result is a hugely thick device, which is what you get when you add too many hinges. Imagine a 20 mm or 30 mm thick phone… Too much is too much. Now, aside from the extra screen and hinge and keyboard, the design is pretty much the same as the Z Fold 2.
