If you want a foldable phone that folds vertically, you have only two options – the Galaxy Z Flip line from Samsung or the Razr line from Motorola. We have seen other manufacturers patent phones with a similar design, but none other than the aforementioned two brands have one that you can buy right away. Now, an OPPO patent has surfaced that shows the Chinese manufacturer’s take on a vertically folding phone.
The patent was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and was approved and published on September 3. According to the documents, the foldable phone uses a rotating hinge with gears that allows the phone to be fixed at up to four different angles.
Renders made by LetsGoDigital based on the patent images show that OPPO’s foldable phone doesn’t have a cover display. This means when you fold the phone, you can’t see who is calling or what notification you just received until you unfold it. This is a striking difference from other foldable phones in the market which have a smaller display on the outside. On the other hand, the main display is more conventional, as it has a centered punch hole.
The renders show the OPPO device with three rear cameras even though the patent diagrams don’t reveal the number of cameras it has. However, OPPO is not one to shy away from loading its phones with cameras, so the chance of its first foldable phone having a single rear camera is pretty slim. The cameras are more than that of the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr which have two and one rear camera respectively. The sensors are also arranged in a fashion that reminds us of the Galaxy S10 Plus.
A patent doesn’t mean that a phone is on the way as we have heard no news of OPPO’s plan to launch a foldable smartphone next year. Nevertheless, it is time for a Chinese brand to make its entry into the vertically folding smartphone category.
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