LG solves the tri-fold smartphone problem with innovative patent

Recently, LG announced that their dual-screen smartphone will be ready for release next month. Yesterday, their patent for a specially designed foldable phone was approved.  The device bears resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, but with a Z-Fold folding system.

The design patent was filed in China on 6th March 2019, and included 18 sketches of a rectangular-shaped folding device with two displays; one of which is a flexible screen.

The smartphone unfolds according to the Z-Fold principle, which is also used in brochures for the retail trade.

After you unfold the phone, you’ll see a flexible screen which is twice the length of a regular screen and folds open in width like a tablet.

Additionally, the housing accommodates a second display, which is half the size of the flexible main display.  This allows you to create an even wider screen surface.

The second display also serves as a front display.  Because of its unique hinge, the front screen bends to become a part of the inside main display.

The smartphone looks like it accommodates a dual camera on the back, but shows no sign of a front-facing camera.  This makes it likely that the company are working on incorporating an under-screen camera, and possibly under-screen fingerprint sensor too.

In the sketches, two physical buttons can be seen on the right of the phone.  The bottom shows a microphone and speaker, but no 3.5 mm headphone jack or USB-C port; suggesting that the device can only be charged wirelessly.

Check out the patent here.

Source: letsgodigital