One of Motorola’s latest patents has to do with foldable phones, or better said with one of its main problems: damage brought to the mechanisms. As you know, a device that flexes and flexes will eventually break, but Moto has a solution. It’s been patented and detailed below.
The patent has to do with a method to repair hinge and screen damage. The foldable phone may create a permanent crease as it folds and unfolds multiple times. Moto solves that by heating up, countering the deformation. Foldable smartphones have yet to find a proper path and a proper format. ZTE has the Axon M as a sort of landmark and Microsoft and Samsung are also working on such a product.
No other device maker has found the ideal hinge to connect two displays, although I kind of love what Lenovo did with the Yoga Book and Microsoft with the Surface Book. Those hinges are quite quality ones. Last I heard Samsung was exploring a cylindrical hinge for the Galaxy X, one that would revolve around the outside of the device. These ideas are only available in patent form and they don’t always become real products.
Other patents for the Moto foldable include mentions of dual cameras, a selfie one on the front left and a dual camera on the top right. Hinges are placed at the top center and top bottom, so you can prop it up like a tent. The idea of healing some surface or mechanism via heat was also used, if I’m not mistaking on the LG G Flex and G Flex 2, which had you rubbing the outer surface to heal scratches.
Huawei and Apple are also rumored to be exploring a foldable.
