What you need to know
- Samsung's TM Roh discusses the company's interest in creating a foldable tablet as it is a "very good product category" for such a form.
- The company is also interested in creating a foldable laptop, though a timeframe for such devices isn't known.
- Samsung was rumored to reveal a foldable tablet this year, and while that didn't happen, its competitors appear to be working on their own versions.
Samsung has started teasing its interest in creating more foldable devices like a tablet. In an interview with Independent, Samsung's mobile chief TM Roh stated, "The tablet is a very good product category, one where we can apply the foldable format." He added, "Because it has been part of human history and human nature for so long to read books, or use notebooks."
Samsung enjoys the folding aspect of devices because of their portability and how closing one makes it more compact. With that in mind, Roh states Samsung is "investing a lot of resources" into developing the foundation for such a device.
The company is interested in delivering "meaningful innovation" before rolling out such a product. Roh stated a foldable tablet needs to be "thin and light so that it’s highly portable. But it has to be strong so that it can be used without worry," using the brand's Tab S9 Ultra and co. as an example.
While TM Roh didn't give anything about an estimated timeframe for Samsung's first foldable Android tablet, he did float the possibility of another device in mind.
Aside from tablets, a foldable laptop from Samsung's kitchen could happen sometime in the future, as well.
This isn't the first time rumors of a Samsung foldable tablet have surfaced in some fashion. However, those rumors cropped up again three months before Unpacked as an X tipster stated the device could be called the "Galaxy Z Tab" and would release alongside the Tab S9. That didn't happen, although, as we move forward, it'll be interesting to see if the name at least comes true.
Samsung did tease a foldable tablet concept back in 2022, but with the company still working out the kinks, it's possible that these designs could change.
Moreover, Samsung speaking to its interest in a foldable tablet comes at a time when competitors like Google are reportedly flirting with the possibility. Meanwhile, Apple has apparently swapped foldable iPhone plans for a foldable iPad instead.
Nothing is confirmed, and such information should be taken cautiously. But if any of this does hold water, we may have another race brewing.
Samsung's flagship Tab S9 Ultra doesn't get any better than this with a 146-inch Super AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The Tab S9 Ultra is the best laptop substitute as the device offers great multitasking capabilities and you can attach a keyboard to it. Even if you're looking to get some gaming in, the Tab S9 Ultra is more than strong enough.
