Samsung could solve its folding phone problems using folding batteries

Samsung has filed a patent for folding battery cells, which could help ease one of the issues with folding phones - how you package the battery.

The patent, discovered by LetsGoDigital, showcases a battery which rather than being split into separate cells, is joined by a flexible segment. This will allow designs to have the battery running through the hinge, rather than having battery sections in each different part of the device.

What's interesting about these patents is that they illustrate this battery technology with a couple of different designs of phone - one similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, of which we're expecting a second-generation to launch in August 2020 - and a tri-folding design that's a lot more compact, but can still carry the folding battery through all the hinges.

The patent includes plenty of technical details about the battery and there's no telling when this might be deployed in a future device, but it's possible that Samsung will be able to use this tech not only for its own devices, but to create batteries for other manufacturers' designs too.

What that should allow for is better use of space within the device. In a smartphone, space is at a premium with a lot of hardware to be packed in. Utilising this type of folding battery may allow Samsung to increase the overall battery capacity for better endurance, or to reduce the overall volume the battery occupies, allowing more room for other components.

With this sort of patent there's no telling when it might be commercially ready to use, but it does at least give us an insight into some of the areas that Samsung is exploring for future folding phones.

You can find more details and illustrations on the source link below.

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