In September 2022, Patently Apple posted a report titled "Samsung Presented their First Demo of a Future Tablet with an Expandable Display Form Factor at Intel's Innovation 2022 Event." Below is a video of the first slidable tablet from Samsung. 

In May we learned that Samsung is working with Lenovo to develop a device with a slidable display. The tablet being developed will offer a standard 13-inch screen that could be stretched out to 17 inches when pulled.

Apparently Samsung Electronics is likewise considering a future tablet device that interestingly enlargers its display by pulling on both right and left sides of the frame.  This would definitely be one way to challenge Apple's iPad market dominance. For those who would love to work and play games with a larger tablet display, Samsung's potential future tablet could offer a winning solution.

Samsung's patent application published this week covers an electronic device (a future Galaxy Tablet) and a method for controlling and allowing a tablet to extend its flexible display.

The tablet, according to an example embodiment of the patent below, may include: a flexible display, a first rolling actuator configured to extend the flexible display in a first direction, a second rolling actuator configured to extend the flexible display in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to: determine a mounting state of the electronic device, acquire position information of a peripheral device linked with the electronic device, based on the mounting state satisfying a designated condition, determine an extension direction of the flexible display based on the information about the position of the peripheral device, and control the first rolling actuator or the second rolling actuator to extend the flexible display in the first direction or the second direction based on the determined extension direction.

A method of operating this tablet (electronic device) may include: determining a mounting state of the electronic device, acquiring position information of a peripheral device linked with the electronic device, based on the mounting state satisfying a designated condition, determining an extension direction of a flexible display based on the information about the position of the peripheral device, and using a first rolling actuator or a second rolling actuator to extend the flexible display in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction based on the determined extension direction.

This tablet (an electronic device) may include: a flexible display, at least one rolling actuator configured to extend the flexible display, and at least one processor electrically connected to the flexible display and the at least one rolling actuator. The at least one processor may be configured to: determine a mounting state of the electronic device, detect an extension event of the flexible display based on the mounting state satisfying a designated condition, determine an extension direction of the flexible display based on the extension event, and control the at least one rolling actuator to extend the flexible display based on the determined extension direction.

According to various example embodiments of the disclosure, a portable tablet device may automatically extend a flexible display in response to an extension event.

Samsung's patent FIG. 1A below is a perspective view illustrating an electronic device (a tablet); FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a front view of an electronic device (a tablet); FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating a lateral view of an electronic device (a tablet).

Apple's patent FIG. 2C above is a sectional view illustrating an electronic device in a state in which a flexible display is extended in a first direction and a second direction; and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration for main hardware and software of an electronic device (a tablet).

For more details, review Samsung's patent US20240231437 here.