While the Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X are all the rage nowadays, Sharp‘s actually had a folding phone in the works for almost just as long. They had a prototype shown off a couple of months back, but the company’s been quiet about it ever since. That was at least until earlier today, with sources claiming that Sharp has begun work with fellow Japanese company JDI to begin work on developing a foldable smartphone.
This actually comes as a bit of a surprise since we had originally heard that Sharp was working with Samsung on their folding phone, though it also makes sense that they chose JDI instead. Japanese companies usually avoid working with Korea due to the ever intensifying Japan-South Korea trade war, and Sharp themselves rarely work with companies outside of their home country when it comes to their own products.
JDI is a seasoned veteran when it comes to mobile phone display production, though they have a heavy emphasis on LCDs over OLED displays. They’ve certainly produced OLED displays in the past, but it has never been one of their main selling points before. What this could mean is that Sharp’s folding phone will come with an LCD instead of the standard OLED.
Sharp isn’t exactly a big name when it comes to the smartphone market, but what they do have tends to be very solid when it comes to build and performance. We’re certainly looking forward to their inevitable folding phone, regardless of when it arrives or who makes the display. For now, stay tuned on Gizmochina.com for any updates on the matter.
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