The reason that foldable devices exist is that we all want more screen real estate from our mobile devices without the extra bulk. The sad reality is that this works better in theory than in practice. Both the Galaxy Fold and the Mate X unfolds into tablets, but they\u2019re rather bulky nonetheless. The brand new Galaxy Z Flip unfolds into a regular all-screen smartphone that looks a lot like the Galaxy S20, but you can\u2019t do anything with it when it\u2019s folded. And even when it is folded shut, the Z Flip is rather chunky for a modern smartphone.<\/p>\n
The technology isn\u2019t quite ready to make the slim, foldable devices we\u2019re dreaming of a reality. But it turns out that you don\u2019t need a folding screen to extend the smartphone display beyond its already slim edges.<\/p>\n
The following concept will sound familiar to anyone who\u2019s old enough to remember the Motorola Atrix 4G, which had a very unusual accessory called the Lapdock. The Asus PadFone was another one. Essentially, these companies made portable screens that would turn their smartphones into tablets\/notebooks. But Android wasn\u2019t really capable of making that experience worthwhile back then, and the experiments quickly faded into oblivion.<\/p>\n
However, Samsung and LG are about to reinvent portable displays this year, according to Korean-language outlet ETNews<\/em>.<\/p>\n The companies are working on external monitors that feature no processor or operating system of their own. They will come with built-in battery packs, but won\u2019t come with keyboards. Users will be able to connect their smartphones to the screens and turn them into tablet-like devices. These tablets will support video playback and document editing. They\u2019ll likely work with other devices as well, not just smartphones, as they\u2019re essentially standalone monitors. And we\u2019ve seen portable monitors before.<\/p>\n Samsung\u2019s device already has a name, Dexbook, which is a clear indication the device is an accessory. Samsung launched the Dex series of products a few years ago, making it possible for users to connect their smartphones to PC monitors. The Dexbook will probably work with the Galaxy S20 series, at the very least.<\/p>\n LG\u2019s device doesn\u2019t have a name yet, but the company did launch a phone with a secondary display last year. It was kind of a bulky mess.<\/p>\n The Dexbook, and whatever LG calls its own display accessory, should launch in the second half of the year, with prices ranging from 400,000 won ($338) to 500,000 won ($422), according to the report. However, that high of a price might turn out to be a huge drawback. For that much money, you\u2019d be better off buying Apple\u2019s newest affordable iPad, which is more than capable of playing video content and running apps. In fact, the cheapest new iPad is one of the best budget tablets out there right now. On the other hand, if you want to carry around a portable monitor that can hook up to your laptop or smartphone, the Dexbook might be the way to go.<\/p>\n \n\t\tChris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his views on tech stuff with readers around the world. Whenever he’s not writing about gadgets he miserably fails to stay away from them, although he desperately tries. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.\t<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n![](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Massive-leak-says-PS5-is-better-than-the-Xbox-Series.jpg\")
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