Flexible dual-screen displays have been with us for a long time, and we’ve mostly seen them on mobile phones. They were also introduced in the PC segment through some Lenovo and ASUS laptops, but they did not have the same appeal as smartphones. Simply, the user did not see the utility.
Now we see something else. In the keynote speech on the first day of Intel Innovate 2022, Samsung Display CEO JS Choi took the stage to introduce “The world’s first 17-inch sliding screen for PC”. And it is as advertised. When folded, the screen resembles a 13-inch tablet. If you unfold it completely, it becomes a 17-inch screen:
The head of Samsung Display did not specify the details of the panel, its resolution, refresh rate or the technology used, OLED for sure. He didn’t even clearly explain where this screen was going, even though he assured it “satisfies several requirements for a larger screen as well as portability”.
From our side, we see it as highly portable secondary screen or as a tablet, but as a “slide-out PC”? It has to be said that Intel has been experimenting with new PC form factors for years, and the latest attempt to bring a dual-screen foldable device to the mass market hasn’t even begun.
Microsoft has abandoned its plans to launch Windows 10X on foldable devices, and Intel’s partners haven’t seen much interest either, although the few models released like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold are spectacular.
It should be emphasized that these new types of form factors are in desperate need of a special operating system and specific applications demonstrate their usefulness. Next to the display, Intel introduced its new Unison software aimed at connecting computers with an Intel processor and smartphones, including iPhones.
However, this seems to do very little to attract consumers and partners. Samsung’s sliding screen is just a proof of concept and it will be a while before we see it in commercial devices.
