Here's what LG's foldable phone could look like
Samsung's not the only one reportedly working on a foldable phone. LG might be developing one, too.
GSMInfo (via The Verge) has discovered an patent with illustrations that hint at what the Korean electronics giant's foldable phone might look like.
The patent was filed in July 2017 and made public last week on Jan. 12. It describes "a mobile phone with a flexible display which can be folded in half."
There's not much in terms of detailed hypothetical use-cases (as is usually the case with most patents), but the included illustrations do provide some fodder for the imagination.
In one of the images, you can see how a phone folds open into a tablet. In another drawing, there are cutouts for cameras:
Other illustrations suggest the foldable phone's backside could also display things like the time, similar to the always-on clocks on LG's phones like the V30.
And finally, several other illustrations show "the state that when the mobile phone is folded, the rear cover is pushed to one side and a transparent part on the front right part is seen from the rear side."
We're not sure what this transparent section would be used for (the patent doesn't say), but it's not hard to imagine it as a secondary display for things like notifications, not unlike what Samsung offered on its Galaxy Edge phones.
It's always neat to look at patent designs, but it's important to remember that it's just a patent. Maybe LG has a working proof-of-concept device in its labs, but who knows. Until the company shows off a working device, none of this stuff is real (yet).
And besides, even if foldable phones become a trend, we still think they have no chance at succeeding.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
