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(Pocket-lint) – Samsung’s next foldable is looking likely to have more attention paid to its durability, with stronger and more scratch-resistant glass on the outside and a more durable hinge.
A patent published recently also shows what the company has been planning and coming up with ways to add further protection to the exterior.
The patent, first filed by Samsung in 2020 called ‘Protective cover for foldable electronic device’ was only recently made public for the first time and shows a number of different methods a case could protect the entire phone, including the hinge.
Three different case models are shown. Two of them are a hard shell design, and another is made from a softer more flexible material. One thing they all share, however, is that they’re all single pieces that cover the hinge area of the phone.
Of course, even on those harder shells the hinge covering needs to be a softer, flexible material that expands and contracts when the phone is open and shut.
The patent was uncovered by LetsGoDigital, a frequent publisher of patents and renders, and also indicates that the cases would have holes and recesses cut in the correct places for buttons, cameras and ports.
Currently, official cases from Samsung generally come in two parts for the first couple of Z Flip generations. They snap on to the two parts of the phone and leave the hinge exposed.
That means if you drop the phone on its hinge, there’s little there to absorb any impact. Having a single piece case that protects this area can only be a good thing.
As always, with patents, there’s no knowing if Samsung intents to turn them into a new products. Manufacturers file patents all the time, and often times these patents never see the light of day in form of becoming real.
Whether or not these become the cases for the Z Flip 3 is yet to be seen. However, thanks to a recent leak we now have a good idea as to what the phone itself will look like.
The phone is expected to launch at some point this summer, so thankfully we don’t have long to wait until we found out how much of these pre-release indicators are real.
Writing by Cam Bunton.
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