oneplus: This may be OnePlus’ plan to ‘reinvent’ the foldable smartphone segment – Times of India

When Samsung expanded its latest foldable smartphones portfolio in August this year, OnePlus shared a teaser of its own ‘foldable’ device. Although the teaser left a lot to be answered, a new patent filed by OnePlus reveals what the company may be working on in the foldable space. According to a report in LetsGoDigital, the company has filed a patent for a tri-fold smartphone in China.
The patent document is captioned Mobile terminal and it shows a smartphone with three foldable display parts. The document also revealed that it was invented by Gao Yang. According to the patent, the displays on the smartphone will be backed by double hinge which will allow the device to fold in multiple ways. As of now, Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei are the front-runners in foldable display technology, but this design patent by OnePlus is unlike any other seen in the market.
Various reports suggest that the patent document for the foldable smartphone was filed in China in 2020 and was published in July 2021. The design has also been included in the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) database. The WIPO has also given a stamp of approval and protection to OnePlus for the patented technology.
Although the company has not yet revealed any information about the smartphone yet, LetsGoDigital suggests that we may be able to see the device with three display areas in 2022. Apple also recently filed a patent for an all-glass iPhone with six display areas.
Oppo is also reportedly gearing up to launch its foldable smartphone codenamed “Peacock”. As per reports, the foldable phone will feature an inward folding design like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Huawei Mate X2. It is rumoured to be equipped with Samsung’s 8-inch LTPO OLED panel that offers a 120W refresh rate. The smartphone is rumoured to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset