Posted on 04/16/2019 6:53:05 AM PDT by Jagermonster
LG has been granted US patent 10,254,863, as noted by Let’s Go Digital, which sets out one potential vision for foldable phones — and it involves a mostly transparent display. Filed in 2015, this patent is just a hint at how long tech companies have been mulling foldables, as well as how weird and outlandish their concepts have been. The idea with this one is that you’d have one half of the device with an adjustable transparency, with the other half having some transparent portion and an opaque section to accommodate its battery. As usual with patents, the why of such a gadget is not explained, only the how.
Earlier this year, LG went on the record with its belief that it’s too soon to launch a foldable a phone, and the company instead opted for a second-screen accessory for its upcoming LG V50. Both of those moves seem justified by the current facts of the developing foldable category: Samsung and Huawei are the only major companies to have announced foldables, and neither of them has been able to price its device under $2,000. LG could, as has been its wont, dive into the chase for hype and engineering prestige, but the company’s more pragmatic approach of late has gone against that. All of which is to say: don’t expect a transparent LG foldable to surface anytime soon.
LG certainly has the necessary technology to make a transparent foldable a reality. LG Display, which is a nominally independent company but obviously has a great working relationship with LG Electronics, has been demonstrating rollable OLED screens and transparent displays for quite a while. If you’re wondering why LG persists with its unprofitable smartphone efforts, one good reason is that every new LG phone can serve as a tech showcase for the broader corporation’s advances.
The transparent foldable design set out in LG’s new patent is notable for one other reason: the hinge. A substantial part of the accompanying imagery is dedicated to the hinge, which is quite the complicated piece of kit. Other companies, like TCL and Huawei, have also been super secretive about their hinge technology, and it does appear like the mechanics of the actual folding and unfolding will be a point of differentiation when foldable devices do eventually become a reality.
You think your phone’s hard to find now?
Just wait until they’re transparent.
I just got the Samsung S10+, very happy with it. I figure it’ll last me long enough to see the prices come down and tech get better on these folding designs.
Can’t find my camouflage jacket with my transparent phone, in the pocket. Oh My
LG makes great phones, I'll upgrade to the V50 as soon as my 3 year old LGV20 gives me a problem.
I still have a folding phone.
I just bought their LG G8. The under display sound system, to make the whole display a speaker, is really neat and the sound is very clear.
Heh, not a flip phone silly.
Classic.
The phone I have is bigger than I like - I guess it would serve as a “mini-pad” for those who need to stay constantly connected .. especially to do business....I’m the sort that misses the days when phones stayed at home connected to a cord, even as I use the message and GPS functions of modern phones at least once or twice a week...
Apple is looking with amusement at all these attempts at a foldable phone. When 2021 rolls around, Apple will be selling a foldable phone that’s actually mature in design.
I don’t the foldable phone will take off, if they can’t thin it out so it’s no thicker than a regular phone while folded.
If you were to find it, how would you know if it was turned on and how would you dial?
I love my LG’s. You can get all the features you want at a moderate price, but I especially like that it has a removable/replaceable battery. I like to have a few charged spares around to swap into when I’m traveling.
Get an external battery phone charger.......MUCH more battery capacity, and hooking up a cable is a lot less trouble than swapping the internal battery.
Nope. Easier to have three extra batteries with me and swap them in. Also can of course simply take the battery out when I want and also not reliant on the manufacturer if I want a newer battery to use.
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