Wraparound screens could be the future of foldable phones if mobile maker Vivo has something to do with it.
A patent noted by LetsGoDigital suggests that the Chinese technology company may add a foldable phone to its range in the near future. However, it is different from any device we have seen before.
Most foldable phones have a fairly practical clamshell design, which makes the device more compact but can still offer a fairly large screen. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is a good example of this. And the rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could also develop this design.
But Vivo’s patent follows a different approach to collapsible items with a phone that has a screen that revolves around the phone.
Almost like folding a piece of paper, the bottom third of the screen would be foldable and stored on the back of the phone. The screen can then be stretched to full length. Or the folded part of the screen can even function as a second screen if it is pinned to the back of the device.
The Huawei Mate X just does something similar with its screen that folds horizontally around itself, just like folding a book back on itself.
Thanks to 91mobile we have a good idea of what the phone would actually look like. Although the images left us a little confused about how useful the phone might actually be.
It does not seem to us to be the most practical design, not to mention, raises the question of whether anyone needs a super-long phone screen in the first place.
A screen with the unique ability to unpack is not the only information contained in the patent. The document also gives us a clear indication of what the camera array would look like on this concept phone.
The phone has five cameras in the back in a diamond shape, one of which is probably a periscope lens. There are no suggestions of any front cameras in the patent, and it looks like a headphone jack has also been omitted. USB-C port for charging is visible in the design.
Just because Vivo thought it good to patent this design does not, of course, necessarily mean that the phone will be guaranteed at some point in the future. Companies patent designs or products that for some reason never see the light of day.
We do expect Vivo to release a foldable phone at some point. If you can not wait until then, you can check out our overview of the best foldable phones currently available.