Samsung's next generation Windows laptops could boot directly into docked smartphones

According to tech news site PatentlyMobile, Samsung could be working on an ultraportable laptop device with a built-in dock, able to host a larger smartphone, most likely a Galaxy S or Note.

While PatentlyMobile did not provide any link, or patent number to corroborate the existence of the patent, claiming that it was filed sometime in the third quarter of 2014, the rumored abstract provides details on an invention decidedly a step above the closest related product we could think of, which is the Asus PadFone.

The difference between the PadFone and this new concept, is that instead of integrating a smartphone into an Android tablet, the laptop would provide users the ability to dock their smartphone into a Windows laptop, and become integral part of the device. Users would then be able to boot the device either in laptop mode, into Windows 10, or in smartphone mode, directly into Android.

The latter configuration would use the smartphone’s own hardware for processing, memory and storage, while receiving input from the laptop’s keyboard. The smartphone’s GPU would send video signal to the laptop’s display, while the smartphone’s own display would convert into a multi-touch trackpad.

In laptop mode, when booting the device into Windows 10, the docked smartphone could then be used as an additional display, or even as a multi-touch trackpad.

True or not, this device is in the cards

While corroborating evidence is still needed to determine whether the rumors are genuine, the introduction of a dual-boot Windows/Android laptop device is not as far-fetched a concept as it may have seemed a few years ago. Now, with Apple and Microsoft making a push into territories like wearable tech and desktop/mobile convergence, mobile devices capable of delivering desktop-like features are expected to become more common, with a focus on enterprise customers.