Huawei was among the first companies to launch a foldable smartphone in the market when it debuted two such devices in the market — Huawei Mate X and Mate Xs. This year, in February, the company launched the Mate X2 smartphone with an inward folding design, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series.

Now, the company is working on another foldable smartphone which is supposedly featuring a clamshell design, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip lineup. But this time, the company is charging the hinge design for the smartphone.

As per the report coming from Weibo, Huawei will be using a next-generation hinge from Zhaoli Technology which is being developed for quite some time now. The company has said that a smartphone manufacturer will be using this new hinge and it seems that Huawei is the only brand that makes sense for this development.

The new hinge is said to be less complicated when compared to the ones already used by Huawei. But the hinge is also more reliable than the ones used in the past and the added bonus is that because of fewer parts, it is also less expensive.

Some reports indicate that the upcoming clamshell foldable smartphone could be named Huawei Mate V but the name has not been confirmed yet. It is expected to get launched soon and could come powered by the Kirin 9000 chipset. Just like recent Huawei phones, it is likely to be a 4G-only model because of the US-imposed sanctions on the company.

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Huawei is one of the few companies to release foldable smartphones. So far, the OEM has only introduced three models. All of these feature a horizontally foldable display that unfolds into a tablet. As per a reliable tipster from China, the firm is currently working on a device with a vertically foldable screen. This type of phone is commonly referred to as a ‘clamshell foldable smartphone’.

According to Digitial Chat Station, Huawei is developing a clamshell foldable smartphone. The leaker says that the handset will be positioned in the high-end market. He also adds that it will be targeted at the female audience. Unfortunately, it’s not known when this phone will be released.

Going by the information, the upcoming HUAWEI-branded clamshell foldable smartphone will compete directly with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series. The current-gen Galaxy Z Flip3 is said to be the best affordable foldable device to date without any major concerns. Hence, the Huawei-made handset needs to offer more to lure in customers.

At present, there are only two companies that offer foldable smartphones with a vertically foldable display. One of them is South Korea’s Samsung and the other is China’s Lenovo-owned Motorola. 

Huawei entering this segment will make it the only second Chinese OEM to offer this type of phone. However, there’s a chance of fellow Chinese firms like Xiaomi, OPPO, or vivo beating the telecom giant in this regard.

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Lately, we have been covering a number of patent stories related to foldable smartphones. Because companies have been filing so many as these devices are expected to be the future of smartphones. That said, Huawei has now patented another clamshell foldable phone with an uncanny resemblance to the Galaxy Z Flip.

A few days back, the Chinese telecom giant Huawei launched the HUAWEI Mate40 series as its latest flagship smartphones. These devices could be the last high-end phones from the company in a very long time. However, the firm continues to patent and invest in new technology despite its inability to produce them due to the US ban.

The latest Huawei foldable smartphone design patent was filed by Huawei Technologies with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office). It got approved and published on October 23. As usual, LetsGoDigital was first to find it.

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This patented design looks identical to 2020’s most popular foldable smartphone – Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The only major differences between the two are the inclusion of a larger cover display, an inner screen without punch-hole or notch, a vertically-aligned dual-camera setup, and placement of the physical buttons.

In other words, Huawei fixed the biggest con of the Galaxy Z Flip by adding a larger screen to its design. However, this panel is uneven with cursed corners on one side and flat on the other.

Further, the volume rockers sit on the left side, whereas the power button is placed on the right side. There’s also HUAWEI branding etched on the back of the device along with the logo. Also, since the inner display is without any obstructions, it may feature an under-screen camera if Huawei ever plans to use this design.

Having said that, we don’t expect Huawei to launch a clamshell foldable smartphone or any premium smartphones for that matter in near future. It will happen only when the US ban is lifted.

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