Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 is already at the pinnacle of current smartphone technology But it turns out what Samsung is planning next

A recent Samsung patent discovered by the team at LetsGoDigital and turned into some fascinating renderings details what we see the company's future foldable getting a hinge display

The patent, titled "Electronic Device Including Indicator," was filed in March and published by WIPO on October 1 The idea is introduced with a lengthy preamble explaining how essential smartphones are and how important it is that they are easy to use

In explaining what the patent is for, it is explained that folding styles may not display notifications as easily as slate-style phones, especially when folded or when the front display is blocked by something This is where the title light indicator comes in

The indicator runs the length of the hinge area between the back of the phone and the front cover display and is covered with a translucent plastic layer for protection It contains six light modules containing LEDs of several different colors, allowing the phone to display multiple colors and lighting patterns

In essence, it is like an advanced version of a basic notification LED that is activated when an alert sounds If the phone is in silent mode, upside down, or left with the cover screen obscured, this would help draw attention to newly arrived messages

The document uses an illustration of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to illustrate the point of the new patent However, the patent mentions rollable devices as well as foldable devices In other words, Samsung is clearly serious about the concept of a rollable phone

The patent does not guarantee that the idea is viable, much less that the designers will eventually use it in a product However, it appears to be a perfectly feasible idea and could be incorporated into Samsung's future foldable devices

After the announcement of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold 2 in July and August, respectively, Samsung reasserted its current dominance in this still young part of the smartphone market Apple's long-rumored iPhone Flip is still only a patent and concept, and while other Android foldables like the Motorola Razr and Huawei Mate Xs exist, there are no products that can compete with Samsung at the moment

However, Samsung's next big phone launch will likely be sometime after next year; February is usually when the company launches its new Galaxy S series and when the Samsung Galaxy S21 is likely to debut