A handful of smartphones with foldable display have already given us an idea of how the industry will shape in the next few years. It offers an option to the OEMs to improvise with various form factors and we can already see how devices like Samsung Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z flip, Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha, Huawei Mate X and Motorola Razr have brought the novelty to the otherwise boring smartphone designs.
Continuing the trend further, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is reportedly working on a couple of new foldable smartphones one with a clamshell design and other with a Galaxy Fold like foldable tablet design.
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If the new clamshell design that has just been patented by Huawei gets to see the light of the day, it will be the third such foldable smartphone with a horizontally foldable display after Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Moto Razr.
The patent filed with CINPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) reveals key details about the smartphone that includes an array of rear-facing camera module and a front-facing camera setup housed under a notch.
The images that have made their way out in public also suggest that there may be a tiny secondary display right below the rear-facing camera module. Interestingly, even the Galaxy Z Flip has a small secondary display that serves the purpose of alerts and notifications. The designs also suggest that the display will sit flat when the device is folded without leaving any gap between the two sections of the display
The second patent, filed with European Union Intellectual Property Office or EUIPO, is for a smartphone named Mate V and carried a Galaxy Fold like inward foldable design compared to the Huawei Mate X and Mate Xs which had a display that folded outwards.
The Mate V may also house a large external display, a quad rear camera setup and a large near bezel-less inner display. It is also reported that the Mate V may come with a display capable of 120 Hz refresh rate.
While both the designs look interesting, however, since this is just patent information there is no guarantee that either or both designs will make their way to the production facility.
