Samsung and Huawei have postponed the launch of their first foldable smartphones. Other manufacturers have also become tight-lipped over their launch. However, LG has decided to continue to develop the foldable smartphone. The CEO of the company announced its plan to bring a foldable smartphone in October 2018. It was stated that it was too early for LG to actually introduce a folding phone.
In November last year, the company registered several trademarks, as suggestive names – LG Flex, Foldi, Duplex, and LG Bendi. However, LG remained silent until April 2019. LetsGoDigital discovered a number of photos of LG’s flexible display, made in the test laboratory.
LG Folds and LG Arc
This time, the company has again submitted two notable trademark applications in Korea, home country. It appears to be related to LG’s foldable smartphone. On July 8, 2019, LG Electronics had the names Folds and Arc recorded at the KIPRIS (Korean Intellectual Property Office). Both applications have since been approved and classified as Class 9.
Although it cannot be said with certainty that both applications are related to each other, the description is identical; ‘mobile phone; smartphone touch pen; LED display. In addition to the names, LG also had a logo registered for both applications.
“Folds” is the English word for folding. This request appears to be intended for LG’s folding phone. The definition of “Arc” is an arc, which possibly refers to the bendable screen.
It may be that LG wants to use these names as a model name, but the names could also refer to a certain function or unique feature of the device.
The applications are in any case submitted at a remarkable moment. Finally, several leading smartphone manufacturers will be introducing their new top models in the coming months, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, the iPhone 11 and the Huawei Mate 30 series.
But the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X will also be reportedly launched this year. Although the introduction of both folding phones already took place on February 2019, the actual launch of both models was postponed.
As a result, other companies have suddenly had half an additional year to work on their foldable smartphone. It is still completely unknown what LG will show in the coming months. The company did, however, capture the name LG G10 earlier this month, possibly as a successor to the G8 ThinQ introduced at the start of this year.
At the beginning of this year, LG introduced both the G8 ThinQ and the V50 ThinQ, both high-end smartphones. Previously, the Korean manufacturer always introduced its new V-series smartphone in the second half of the year. Since the V50 was announced at the beginning of this year, it is unclear whether a premium LG smartphone will be introduced this year.
Regarding the foldable smartphone from LG, unlike several other manufacturers, LG has not yet shown a prototype of its folding phone. It is therefore still unclear whether the company opts for a device that folds out into a tablet, or whether the device receives an elongated display – as could be seen on the pictures from the test laboratory.
The company had applied for a patent for the foldable LG smartphone, with a flexible screen on the outside as well as inside. Earlier this year, the Korean manufacturer even filed a patent for a transparent folding phone. There is a good chance, however, that we will have to be patient before an LG foldable smartphone is introduced.
