Last year saw foldables go mainstream, without a doubt. Not only did Samsung cement its place as the industry leader, but other manufacturers brought proper competition, from the likes of Oppo, Huawei and vivo. At CES 2023, Samsung combined a foldable display with a sliding display in a single concept device, called the Samsung Flex Hybrid. It folds out from the one side and slides out from the other, which not only changes the size of the display, but also the aspect ratio.
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In its smallest mode the Samsung Flex Hybrid is quite a compact device at only 4.2 inches in size. Then it folds out into a 10.5-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio built for productivity. Then you can slide out the other side to turn it into a 12.4-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio meant for content consumption. Impressively, this is still an OLED panel with all of the perks this type of display delivers like true blacks and contrast ratios.
The extra two inches of screen appears to roll from under the right-hand side of the device when slid out, judging by the extra thickness on that side of the display. The combined technology could effectively allow you to carry a 12.4-inch, 16:10 OLED tablet in a jacket pocket — ideal for entertainment or working on the go. It should be noted that TCL unveiled a folding, rollable screen back in 2021, but appears to have never showed a working prototype. Xiaomi has also had a similar concept, again, nothing coming to fruition.
Two other Samsung displays will make their public debuts at CES 2023. The Flex Slidable Solo expands from a 14-inch OLED panel to a wider 17.3-inch display by sliding open from one side. And the Flex Slidable Duet OLED extends from two sides to make the same conversion.
