LG foldable phone design patent bends like a flip phone

LG has filed a patent for folding smartphone. — AFP Relaxnews

Though no folding phone by LG was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February as some had speculated, a patent that was granted on April 2, as spotted by LetsGoDigital, suggests that one is on the way.

It's no secret that folding displays are set to be the next big thing in smartphone design. Unfortunately, the handsets that are currently available or are on schedule for a 2019 release are all accompanied by luxurious price tags, as they're the first models on the market with flexible screens. Slowly but surely, though, other manufacturers are working on joining the market: patents have been seen for an Apple folding device, and on April 2, an LG patent filed with the USPTO for a flip phone-styled folding device was granted.

The patent was first spotted by Dutch website LetsGoDigital (and reported on by Pocket-Lint) who created product renderings based on the description in the official documents. Allegedly, the phone (if LG does decide to pursue the model) will feature a clamshell design similar to the Motorola Razr that took the mobile phone industry by storm in the early 2000s.

In fact, Motorola may actually be reviving the classic device but instead of bringing it back with its iconic dial pad, the entire interior of the fold with be one continuous display with a second display lining the outside. As of right now, it has not been revealed what the outside of the LG rendition will look like. – AFP Relaxnews