Samsung said to be developing a 17-inch foldable Galaxy Book

[nanoguy]

Forward-looking: Samsung is reportedly cooking a foldable Galaxy Book in its labs, and with a bit of luck, we might be able to buy one in the coming years. The company doesn't have the first-mover advantage here, but the device is rumored to come with a 17-inch display when unfolded, and there are many missing details that could turn it into an aspirational machine for other manufacturers.

Samsung's obsession with foldable displays is hardly a secret at this point, and the company has already shown it's committed to getting foldable smartphones right, from the tiny engineering details required to make them durable to the cost optimizations that make them affordable for enthusiasts who want to be on the bleeding edge.

The next logical step would be to get bolder with the form factor, and the Korean giant is certainly exploring more options in its labs. However, the rumor mill says the company is ready to move beyond smartphones and into the foldable PC territory. According to reliable leaker Ice Universe, the first step is the Galaxy Book Fold 17, a massive laptop that will eschew the traditional keyboard and trackpad to allow the screen to govern both the visual feedback and the input.

Details are scarce at this point, but Samsung did open up at SID 2021 about its vision for what a foldable clamshell should look like. When fully extended, this device would look exactly like a 17-inch tablet with a high-resolution OLED display. The webcam would most likely be embedded under the screen, and when the device is folded halfway, you'd be given a keyboard or any relevant set of controls on the bottom half of the display based on the app that is open on the top half.

The concept isn't entirely new -- last year's Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold comes to mind -- but the company has refused to call it a laptop and instead wants it to be perceived as a separate category of PC. If Samsung does decide to bring a Galaxy Book Fold 17 to market, it will likely need to position the device as anything but an oversized tablet or a gimped touchscreen laptop.

The first iteration may well end up being an expensive and unfinished product just like the Galaxy Fold of yesteryear, but maybe that's exactly what this new category needs if it ever has a chance of taking off.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/91052-samsung-developing-17-inch-foldable-galaxy-book.html

 

[Dimitriid]

If they can hit a lower price point than Lenovo then it might be a nice thing to try out. But I kinda doubt that they'll probably go for "more features" and such. While is nice to have a laptop that folds into a tablet size for portability, it doesn't has nearly the same appeal as a tablet that folds into a phone size you can put in your pocket: it's not paying for the convenience of having a "powerful" tablet on me at all times unless you grew up in the 90s and your baggy pants can actually fit a tablet in there, mine are probably around somewhere.

 

[Uncle Al]

After a couple of bad reports on Samsung in recent months, I'm going to have to take a few steps backwards and take a wait & see stance. I would have far more respect for them if they held the line on quality and didn't try to meet every demand by cutting corners. There are too many companies out there doing this and Samsung missed the opportunity to continue to be a stand out ....

 

[supra5mge]

After a couple of bad reports on Samsung in recent months, I'm going to have to take a few steps backwards and take a wait & see stance. I would have far more respect for them if they held the line on quality and didn't try to meet every demand by cutting corners. There are too many companies out there doing this and Samsung missed the opportunity to continue to be a stand out ....

I have been feeling similar. Disappointed with the SSD controller swaps and such. I give them a bit of a pass, but not too much. I don't think they had a choice, really. Technically, the performance "balances out" but it is purely slower. Simply advertising this and being HONEST about it on their part would have gone a long way and kept trust.

 

[Lew Zealand]

I guess I'm not the proper visionary to see what someone needs with a heavy, unwieldy 17" tablet for, which converts into a laptop with no keyboard for easy data entry. It would do neither job well.

 

[grumblguts]

Zero tactile dont work.
that laser keyboard that projects onto the table is no different.
that failed as well.

 

[Reehahs]

Zero tactile dont work.
that laser keyboard that projects onto the table is no different.
that failed as well.

First thought here as well. Touch controls, ewww.

 

[poohbear]

Zero tactile dont work.
that laser keyboard that projects onto the table is no different.
that failed as well.

really? So how do you type on your smartphone?

 

[Lew Zealand]

really? So how do you type on your smartphone?

Poorly.

The touch KB on a smartphone is good for what it needs to do within its limitations, but is nowhere near as ergonomic as a regular laptop or desktop keyboard. Along with proper key spacing (which this device should have) there's also the tactile feedback which most typists value greatly and Señor Guts mentioned.

 

[ross01]

My understanding is at Samsung all the subsidiaries I. E mobile, TV, computers are at war with each other and the mobile subsidiary has been able to deny the other divisions their oled tech for a long time but the senior bosses have finally allowed the other Samsung divisions access to oled.