A number of manufacturers are working on foldable phones to be released in the near future. There are rumors the first set of commercially available foldable smartphones will hit the market this year. While we wait, a Taiwanese research institute has released a video showing a working device with a foldable AMOLED display.

The display is manufactured by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan and a prototype is shown in a 72-second long video.

The device doesn’t score any point for design as this is clearly a prototype but we get to see the screen in action. ITRI says they are “rapidly approaching commercial standards” with the display.

The device when unfolded looks like a 7-inch tablet. It doesn’t fold into two equal halves and there is probably a reason for that. Rather than unfolding the device every time to check for notifications; with always-on-display, you can check new notifications in the visible part of the screen.

READ MORE: LG’s Patent For Foldable Smartphone Shows Dual Display, Battery, And Headphone Jack

There are hinges similar to the one on the Lenovo Yoga Book where the device folds. The panels are said to be abrasion-resistant and fold-resistant and can be folded up to 200,000 times with a folding radius of 3mm. If the average user checks his/her device about 150 times per day, that means the panel should last for almost four years. This isn’t bad as most people change their devices after two or three years.

What do you think of foldable displays? Let us know in the comment box.

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