Samsung already makes some of the best folding phones. So why not apply that screen-bending power to smartwatches and include a rollable display in a future successor to the Galaxy Watch 4?

Thanks to a patent filed in June and only revealed this week, the possibility seems clear to Samsung. The patent, filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), describes a Galaxy Watch display that is split in two, allowing users to pull out this display to create a larger screen space. The patent was discovered by Dutch blog LetsGoDigital.

There is no indication that such a device is part of Samsung's smartphone plans. Patents are simply a way for companies to protect their designs and technologies, not a roadmap for future product development. In other words, Samsung may be tinkering with a rollable smartwatch display, but there is no guarantee that it will see the light of day.

Nevertheless, the display described in the patent application is intriguing: according to LetsGoDigital, the display consists of two separate parts that can be pulled apart when more screen space is needed and adjusted in size with the watch's digital crown The display can be pulled apart when more screen space is needed and its size can be adjusted with the watch's digital crown. The Galaxy watch extends from the center, and when fully extended, the user will see a 40% larger screen.

Smartwatches help us grasp information at a glance, but the small display can make it difficult to see more detailed data or large blocks of text. Perhaps expanding that space with a rollable display would provide a larger viewing area.

But there may be other reasons to add an expandable display to a smartwatch; LetsGoDigital describes the split-screen effect, where different parts of the screen perform different functions. For example, a smaller portion of the display performs controls, while a larger portion controls apps.

Additionally, in the center of the rollable display will be a camera that can take pictures and record video. The camera resides in the middle frame of the watch and is activated by sliding the display.

Samsung has entered the world of smartwatches with the Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung worked with Google to develop a version of WearOS that runs on the watch while maintaining elements of Samsung's own Tizen software; the Galaxy Watch 4 has also proven to offer a valuable alternative to the Apple Watch.

As noted above, it is unclear how serious Samsung is about rollable displays for smartwatches. However, such a feature would certainly make Samsung stand out further among wearable manufacturers.