Oppo is reportedly working on next-generation foldable phones. The company had recently launched its first foldable phone in China and now has won a patent for a phone that would have two hinges.
The patent spotted by the folks at LetsGoDigital shows that Oppo plans to make a smartphone where the display can be folded at multiple points. The design in the patent documents is like Oppo’s first foldable phone – Find N, however, it is slightly narrower which makes it easier to fit in the palm.
While the designs suggest that the phone might have a similarly large secondary display on the outer screen. This display has a selfie camera housed in a hole punch cut out. A triple camera setup can be seen on the other half of the rear panel which also has the second hinge.
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This, according to the patent documents, will allow the camera module to be folded towards the front letting users click selfies or make video calls using the primary camera setup. The second hinge, however, does seem to be solving any practical purpose. It could be too big an investment and experiment just to make sure that the primary camera can be used as a selfie camera and there is a little possibility that this design may ever see the light of the day.
The inner display also doesn’t seem to have a selfie camera. There is a possibility of the phone shipping with an in-display camera as well, however, if that is the case then the second hinge doesn’t make sense.
As of now, there is not much clarity as to when this design will see the light of the day especially since smartphone makers are struggling to come up with a design that doesn’t allow crease on the foldable display.
Oppo, however, is already working on multiple foldable phones. We reported yesterday that the company is working on a clamshell-style foldable phone. This phone might look like the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in terms of design, however, Oppo is expected to price it aggressively to help make foldable go mainstream.
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