News about a possible Samsung’s tri-fold smartphone continues to emerge. This suggests that the leak about its arrival in 2025 is on the right track. Samsung Electronics’ latest financial results fell short of expectations, prompting them to reorganize their strategy. A new patent provides additional details about the potential tri-fold smartphone from Samsung.

Samsung Display reported that sales of foldable screens did not meet the company’s projections for 2024. Part of the blame can be attributed to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 not selling as much as anticipated. Strong competition from rival suppliers, particularly Chinese ones, also contributed to the situation. As part of its turnaround strategy, the company will rely more on innovation. This might include the launch of a tri-fold smartphone.

How Samsung could make its tri-fold smartphone durable and reliable, according to patent

The patent describes the systems that Samsung could implement in a tri-fold smartphone to ensure the overall integrity of the screen and the device. After all, foldable devices are already much more prone to damage than traditional ones for logical reasons. So, a model with three folds requires even more security measures.

According to the patent, Samsung implements a system of strategically placed openings. The internal design aims to minimize the pressure on the screen during folding and unfolding. It also makes it easier to extend the device’s screen, avoiding using excessive force that could lead to potential damage.

The body of the device integrates adhesive layers and support plates made of stainless steel or glass so that the screen remains sturdy, whether folded or unfolded. In addition, Samsung included in the patent an anti-reflective system based on a layer of synthetic resin. For extra durability, there is a “shield” under the screen that prevents the access of substances. There is even a cushioning system in case of potential bumps or falls.

Samsung will no longer be the first to launch a tri-fold product

It’s noteworthy that Samsung filed the patent with the USPTO in July 2021. However, it only got approval in November 2024. It’s possible that the company has developed more advanced technologies to make a tri-fold smartphone even more reliable and durable. In fact, one of the sketches shows that the technologies described can also be implemented in traditional foldable phones. So, perhaps the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold devices already integrate some (or all) of them.

Anyway, Samsung has already lost the battle to be the first big brand to launch a device with such a form factor. Huawei took the crown by introducing the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design.

Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are seeking approximately $65,700 in compensation from their lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. In a press release the studio issued on Friday, it said Nintendo and the Pokémon Company want ¥5 million each (plus late fees), for a total of ¥10 million or $65,700 in damages.

At first glance, that’s a paltry amount of money to demand for copying one of the most successful gaming properties ever, particularly when you consider Tropic Haze, the creator of the now defunct Yuzu Switch emulator, agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle its recent case with Nintendo. While Nintendo and the Pokémon Company may have well wanted to sue for more, their legal approach may have limited their options somewhat.

As you might recall, when the two sued Pocketpair in September, they didn’t accuse it of copyright infringement. Instead, they went for patent infringement. On Friday, Pocketpair listed the three patents Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are accusing the studio of infringing. Per Bloomberg, they relate to gameplay elements found in most Pokémon games. For example, one covers the franchise’s signature battling mechanics, while another relates to how players can ride monsters.

Pokémon games have featured those mechanics since the start, but here’s the thing: all three patents were filed and granted to Nintendo and the Pokémon Company after Pocketpair released Palworld to early access on January 19, 2024. The earliest patent, for instance, was granted to Nintendo and the Pokémon Company on May 22, 2024, or nearly four months after Palworld first hit Steam and Xbox Game Pass.

According to Pocketpair, the two companies seek “compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit.” Put another way, it’s a small window of time the suit targets.

I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t comment on Nintendo’s strategy of attempting to enforce patents that were issued after Palworld was already on the market. However, I think it’s worth mentioning that Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe had said before the game’s release that Palworld had “cleared legal reviews,” suggesting the studio had looked at Nintendo’s patent portfolio for possible points of conflict. In any case, the Tokyo District Court is scheduled to hear opening remarks from each side next week.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle.

Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below.

How to play Strands

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strand answers

Today’s spanagram

We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own:

Today’s Strands answers

• JUMP
• CIVIL
• STRONG
• LEISURE
• BIRTHDAY
• BUSINESS

We’re still enjoying the Tensor G4 on the Pixel 9 series, but there’s talk about the Tensor G6 for the Pixel 11 already. And according to the latest report from Android Authority, the Tensor G6 could have a pretty big downgrade. Why? Google wants to fix battery life and the thermals of the Pixel series. Something that they had already done a good job with, for the Pixel 9.

Google is also looking to cut the costs of the Tensor chipset, along with increasing battery life. According to the documents that Android Authority has looked over, the goal for Tensor is to get the target to around $65, to make it viable. Qualcomm’s most recent flagship chips are rumored to cost about $150.

Google’s heard consumers complaints about Tensor

Google is aware of the problems with Tensor, and is looking to solve them. Internally, Google has acknowledged that the number one reason for Pixel returns is overheating. About 28% of returns mention thermals being a problem. They also know that battery life needs to be improved. Stating that “Good battery life attracts user & drives loyalty with higher satisfaction”.

The search giant is looking for ways to improve the situation by reducing the temperature in high-power use cases. Part of this comes by way of the new “Cinematic Rendering Engine” which will reduce the power consumption of video recording with blur by around 40%, which means that it generate considerably less heart.

So what does this mean for Tensor G6? Well, Googleis looking to reduce the die area, without regressing on features compared to the Tensor G5. Currently, the Tensor G5 is about 121 mm2, while the Apple A18 Pro is about 105 mm2, and both are using the same node process.

Tensor G6 is looking to hit that 105 mm2 die area, including 4% area saving from TSMC’s new N3P process node. In order to do this, some sacrifices had to be made, including getting rid of ray tracing and GPU virtualization. Google is also looking to ditch the little cluster on Tensor G6, providing one prime core that’s the ARM Cortex-A930, and then six performance cores that are the ARM Cortex-X730.

It appears that Google is still in the process of actually building this chip, so things could change. After all, the Tensor G4 just came out less than three months ago, and this chip is set for 2026.

You can soon the battery of a Volvo at more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger stations across the US and Canada. That should make it much easier for Volvo drivers to find a place to charge, even though they already had access to tens of thousands of fast charge points.

Starting November 18, drivers can locate Tesla Superchargers via the Volvo Cars app or built-in Google Maps. It’s possible to pay for charging sessions via the Volvo Cars app as well.

There’s one teensy catch, however, especially if you have had a Volvo EV for a while: to access Tesla Superchargers and other North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers, you’ll need an adapter. This costs $230 ($310 CAD) and can be ordered from authorized Volvo retailers. The automaker will start shipping them to retailers on November 18, but adapters for the EX30 will be available at a later date. That said, Volvo is including the adapter with purchases of the new EX90 flagship SUV, EX40 or EC40 starting with model year 2025.

Volvo in June 2023 that it would support Tesla Superchargers and the NCAS. It’s one of many automakers that have backed a more standardized approach to EV charging in North America.