Forget folding screens, Samsung may want your next phone to slide open

Samsung may be working on something more exciting than another Galaxy Z Fold or Z Flip refresh. The company is reportedly developing a smartphone with a sliding display that can change shape depending on how you want to use it.

The latest information comes from well-known leaker Ice Universe, who shared concept renders on X that showed the device may switch between 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratios. The images reveal a slightly squat handset that tapers off into a more traditional smartphone shape.

As per the leak, this device could expand vertically instead of folding in half, so you get a small phone when you want it but a taller screen when you want more screen.

Samsung is developing a phone with a display that can extend from 16:9 to 21:9. Some people prefer a wider screen, while others like a taller form factor. This design could accommodate both, letting users adjust the proportions to suit what they're doing. If Samsung can make it work, it could be a very appealing solution.Battery capacity is the big challenge, though. The sliding mechanism would take up a considerable amount of internal space, leaving less room for the battery. How much capacity could Samsung fit inside? And would it deliver enough battery life with the screen fully extended? Those are questions it needs to answer before this becomes a practical everyday device.November 11, 2026

A screen that slides instead of folds

It's not an entirely new idea. Samsung Display has been working on rollable panels for quite some time, and Samsung even demoed a similar concept at MWC 2026. But that prototype required manual shifting and not a fully automated mechanism.

Samsung's patent filings give us a better idea of what might be going on behind the scenes. One application consists of two sections of housing, which move relative to each other, connected by a flexible display.

Instead of users having to pull the screen out, it could roll around an internal mechanism and extend when needed, maybe by a motor.

Battery life may be the biggest headache

(Image credit: @UniverseIce / X)

Of course, fitting a motorized screen into a smartphone has some compromises. The sliding assembly occupies space inside the chassis, and this space is no longer available for the battery. A bigger screen could also mean higher power consumption when extended, making battery life a particularly important question.

Samsung's patent work reveals reinforced sliding rails and supporting slats behind the flexible panel to protect it in motion. The company might also look at silicon-carbon battery technology to get more capacity into the tight space, just like it did to the Galaxy Z8 series. But these are still possible solutions, not confirmed specs for a finished phone.

Samsung has not confirmed whether the device will be available in stores. Earlier reports have suggested a 2028 commercial launch could be possible, but that's a long way from being a firm commitment.

For now it suggests Samsung is looking beyond traditional foldables, exploring ways to make a phone's screen adapt to its owner rather than the other way around.