Samsung has proven time and time again that it is the undisputed king of foldables. While we are waiting for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to officially launch on August 26th, we have decided to take a look at what the Korean tech giant could have in store for us. We are referring to the rumored Samsung Galaxy Tab Fold - the company’s first foldable tablet. According to recent leaks, it is very much possible for the device to make its debut as soon as next year. But how exactly would a foldable tablet work? We need not look further than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to find out. It does not take a lot of mental gymnastics to see the parallel between the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and a potential foldable tablet. But before we explain why, let us examine what purpose foldables serve in 2022.
Foldable devices in 2022
In short, we have seen that there are two main “takes” on foldable smartphones - the clamshell design (of the Flip lineup) and the notebook one (of the Fold series). In essence, users are offered the choice between two “modes” of operation - one that prioritizes portability and another one that sacrifices the latter in favor of productivity. However, even the Fold still accounts for the fact that smartphones tend to be a user’s primary device. Hence, for the sake of keeping the Fold as compact as possible, Samsung has, for now, resorted to adopting abnormal and inefficient aspect ratios on both screens. This decision has made the Fold a narrow, chunky candy-bar smartphone, which unfolds into a small Kindle-sized tablet. The Fold, unfortunately, is neither particularly good at playing the role of a conventional smartphone, nor at serving as a viable tablet alternative. The Fold is a jack of both trades and master of none. Coincidently, the fact that it costs as much as a smartphone and tablet combined is what makes the Fold such a niche device. Because the emphasis of foldable smartphones (and any smartphones for that matter) is on portability, users have 2 choices - (1) a small device that unfolds into a medium-sized one i.e Flip or (2) a medium-sized devices that unfolds into a big one i.e. Fold - with both options having less-than-ideal aspect ratios. Foldable technology has thus far expanded the portability of technology, much more so than its capability - because it has (almost) only been used in smartphones… for now.
Why foldable tablets would work differently
The aforementioned trade-offs are necessary when we are considering foldable smartphones. Nevertheless, the prospect of foldable tablets gives us a completely different option - a device, with reasonable aspect ratios, that is big when folded and even bigger when unfolded. For example, a tablet with a cover screen that is roughly the size of an iPad Mini, which when unfolded approaches the size of an iPad Pro. Now this has some true potential. Or, even more ambitiously, a foldable laptop/tablet hybrid which has no less than 3 modes of operation. Firstly, a folded one, with a big cover screen for consuming media and simple tasks. Secondly, when completely unfolded, it could become a giant canvas for maximum creativity and productivity. And thirdly, in Flex mode (reminiscent of that on the Fold), the device could seek to emulate a laptop
It should be noted that we have already seen a foldable tablet - namely, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold. Unfortunately, the device, being a first-generation experimental product, was far from perfect, but there is a lot Samsung could learn from it.
