Samsung's folding business, which started with the problems with the original Galaxy Fold, has taken off with the excellent (albeit pricey) Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip devices Next, Samsung will turn its attention to the tablet market with the Galaxy Z Fold Tab

The appeal of a foldable tablet is obvious

And Samsung has been pondering the options, with no less than three different designs of foldable tablets Here's what we know so far about Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold Tab

According to Gizmochina, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Tab will be available in Q1 2022 The site suggests that more details about the device will be revealed in August, when it expects the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 to be announced So perhaps there will be a Samsung Unpacked event dedicated to folding devices

Pricing is difficult to gauge On the one hand, Samsung's past foldable devices have been very expensive, with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G at $1,449 and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at $1,999, as the Galaxy Z Fold Tab features a larger screen and (potentially) more hinges, it is easy to imagine the Galaxy Z Fold Tab clearing the $2,000 barrier

On the other hand, Samsung's flagship tablets have traditionally been cheaper than non-foldable phones, in part because cellular connectivity is optional; the Galaxy Tab S7 launched for $649, compared to $799 for the Samsung Galaxy S21

In short, the price is a mystery at this point, but it is expected to hit the four-figure mark with room to spare

What the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Tab will ultimately look like is an interesting question, and three possible designs are circulating Two of them come directly from Samsung patents And just as the company currently has two foldable phones, it is possible that more than one will hit the market

The most interesting design would be a tri-fold design, where the tablet folds in two, as in this prototype from TCL The advantage here is how small the tablet can be carried, even if it turns out to be too thick to fit in a pocket

And there is also a simpler design, hopefully starting at a lower price This design is based on a Samsung patent discovered by LetsGoDigital and is a more basic clamshell, with the tablet opening and closing like a book

Finally, there is another design with multiple hinges, again revealed in Samsung's own patent Here, as mocked up by LetsGoDigital, the screen unfolds in two places and expands to full size Frankly, given the additional cost of an extra hinge, it is hard to see how this would be preferable to the clamshell option, but here it is anyway

According to the patent, this can be folded inward or outward Folding inward seems to make sense, given that it provides some protection for the delicate screen Folding it outward makes less sense, but according to the patent, it would likely be a place to store the included S Pen

To date, detailed specs for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Tab have been difficult to obtain However, given the 2022 release date, it seems likely that the tablet will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 followed by the Snapdragon 888

An included S Pen has been suggested by Gizmochina, as well as an ultra-thin glass that has been enhanced to enhance durability against pokes and prods from the stylus the S Pen has been included with all recent Galaxy Tab models, and given that the future of the Galaxy Note is very uncertain, it makes sense

While it's hard not to be impressed by the technology behind the foldable tablet, the success of the Galaxy Z Fold Tab hinges on two things

The advantage of a folding tablet is definitely portability, but for those who only use their tablets around the house, this is not a very important factor For commuters who carry their tablets everywhere, the ability to make the tablet smaller, especially when folded so the screen is not scratched, is an obvious advantage

For such buyers, however, price is likely to be the deciding factor If, as seems likely, the Galaxy Z Fold Tab clears the four-figure mark, it will be harder to sell if the Galaxy Z Fold 2 becomes both tablet and phone for $1,999

However, it is still early days for the Galaxy Z Fold Tab, and Samsung may reveal a number of killer features We will be keeping a close eye on future leaks and will update this page as more details emerge