We’ve said it before that the era of foldable smartphones seems to break after years of development. Naturally, leading smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple are working on such designs, but Huawei and LG will also join in the battle.
So last week, we came across a new design for a Huawei foldable smartphone. LG Electronics has also been granted several patents for foldable phone models this year. At the beginning of February, we reported on an LG foldable smartphone consisting of three displays.
LG patents foldable smartphone
This time, a foldable smartphone design pops up again in the WIPO database. The patent was requested by LG Electronics on September 28, 2016, and was made public today, April 5, 2018. The patent entitled ‘mobile terminal’ describes a smartphone with two displays, both of which consist of a flat display and a curved display.
The documentation speaks about the possibility of positioning the display on the inside or outside. On the majority of the illustrations, the displays are placed on the outside, technically this is probably easier to implement because of the relatively larger angle of rotation. Nevertheless, the screen will need extra protection from scratches and bumps.
Smartphone with dual battery and built-in fingerprint scanner
Different designs are shown. In all cases, the two housings are connected to one another at the top and bottom by means of a hinge. Because it is made of a curved display, additional functionalities can be displayed on the side of the phone, such as the date and time as well as various icons, including incoming messages and calls and a battery indicator.
Furthermore, the screen can be activated in parts, depending on the angle between the two displays. The user can use the two displays as one large screen in the fully unfolded position. As soon as the device is folded slightly, the two displays will be able to function independently of each other. In addition, the user retains the ability to use the two displays as a kind of book, where you can easily turn a page.
The first display also has a built-in fingerprint scanner and a digital camera. The second housing also has a digital camera, a double camera or a 3D camera. Striking is the use of two batteries; both housings are provided with a battery. We never saw a foldable smartphone with two batteries.
Foldable LG smartphone with two headphone connections
The smartphone with dual battery focuses mainly on video, game, and multimedia enthusiasts. It seems to be a kind of counterpart to the Samsung smartphone patented in December 2017. With the LG model, it is also possible to watch two different videos with two people. A different video can be shown on each display when the smartphone is fully opened.
Users can both set up a headset because the phone has a dual headphone connection. Both enclosures have one headset connection so that users can better shut themselves off from their environment and not burden each other. For example, one user can play music or make a phone call, with or without a video image, while the other user plays a video or views an incoming email notification.
The patent is not for anything called “mobile terminal”, because outside a smartphone, the patented technology can also be used on a tablet, laptop, multimedia player or wearable.
