Huawei joins the ever growing list of companies that are making foldable and flexible smartphones. They’re joining the ranks of Samsung and Apple, developing this machine, which has some sketches and patents leaked online already.
The fresh patent is actually not the first time we’ve heard about Huawei making such a device. Even CEO Richard Yu hinted last fall that a working prototype of a flexible smartphone from Huawei exists. The device comes with two screens, but it also has a small gap between them. A 2018 introduction is supposed to be in the cards, maybe in concept form like the Honor Magic.
The patent makes it look like a beefy smartphone and a reasonably sized tablet. I see that the hinge gets much attention, particularly the foldable part. We’re talking about one big flexible display, which can be opened and closed down the middle, via a folding mechanism. When opened up it becomes a tablet. It uses both soft and hard components to pull this off and it lets you fold it frequently without problems.
Microsoft is doing something similar with Andromeda and Samsung with Galaxy X, while and Apple and LG Display have their own foldable in the making. ZTE Axon M already tried to crack the niche, but without managing to bring anything other than awareness to the format.
