Huawei working on a clamshell foldable phone

While Huawei is still facing major headwinds in the smartphone market, the company is still forging ahead with new products.

With clamshell foldables being on the rise, the Chinese company is working on its own version of the new format.

A recently published patent which dates to the 16th April 2019 shows a new hinged smartphone reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

The patent reads:

A hinge structure includes a center block, a first hinge unit including a first support rotatably connected at the front side of the center block and a second support rotatably connected at the rear side of the center block, and a second hinge unit including a first base rotatably connected to the center of the center block and slidably supporting a movable end of the first support and a second base rotatably connected to the center of the center block and slidably supporting a movable end of the second support. Since the rotation axes of the first and second supports are located outside of the rotation axes of the first and second bases with respect to the vertical direction, a space for accommodating a flexible screen can be formed inside of the first and second supports and the center block, when the first hinge unit is closed.

Hinge construction comprising a central block, a first hinge unit with a first bracket rotatably connected to the front of the central block and a second bracket rotatably connected to the rear of the central block, and a second hinge unit with a first base rotatably connected to the center of the central block and slidably supports a movable end of the first bracket, and a second base rotatably connected to the center of the central block and slidably supports a movable end of the second bracket. Since the axes of rotation of the first and second brackets are outside the axes of rotation of the first and second bases with respect to the vertical direction,

Hinge science has been the main differentiator between the various folding phone companies. While the patent does not guarantee a device will end up being produced, it seems likely Huawei will produce such a device sooner rather than later.

via WindowsUnited