Three tech giants team up to build ‘giant’ laptops with flexible displays
Being able to fold screens and displays opens the door to new computer and smart device formats, and this is just the beginning.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Three tech giants team up to build ‘giant’ laptops with flexible displays', 311 Institute, 24 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/three-tech-giants-team-up-to-build-giant-laptops-with-flexible-displays/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
We’ve all seen Samsung and Huawei’s folding smartphones, and now Korean publication ETNews are reporting that Samsung, Intel and Microsoft are working together to commercialise folding laptops with each company providing an important component.
The laptops are based on Intel’s “Horseshoe Bend” flexible display concept which sees a 17-inch folding tablet fold into a 13-inch laptop, with the bottom screen turning into a keyboard. Samsung Display would provide the folding screens, Intel the processor and Microsoft the OS adapted for the form factor.
The prototype being shown off at CES 2020
The Horseshoe Bend Project is open, and “17-inch panels will be supplied as standardized products to Lenovo, Dell, and HP” said a representative from the industry who is familiar with the Horseshoe Bend Project. “Foldable panel is expected to go into mass-production at the end of 2021.”
While the screen, processor and OS will be standardized, the other elements of the laptops, however, will be open for OEMs to innovate on. And with the screens only being mass-produced later this year it seems likely the first products will only be launched in 2022, just in time for Microsoft to finish Windows 10x, their OS which was originally designed for folding screens, but which has now instead been adapted for standard laptops.
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Being able to fold screens and displays opens the door to new computer and smart device formats, and this is just the beginning.
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Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Korean publication ETNews english.etnews.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 24 March 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Three tech giants team up to build ‘giant’ laptops with flexible displays. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/three-tech-giants-team-up-to-build-giant-laptops-with-flexible-displays/
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