Tag: folding display

LG Registers Trademark For Three Foldable Phones

With the race to launch foldable smartphones underway, LG has also made its first definitive move to join the same. Earlier, a Chinese company, Rouyu had revealed its folding smartphone and Samsung announced its folding phone earlier this month. Now, LG has requested trademarks for three names, which are Flex, Foldi and Duplex. From the names, it is obvious that these belong to foldable phones and nothing else.

Folding Smartphones

Reports about LG showcasing its folding phone at the upcoming CES 2019 and been doing rounds for a long time. Finally, it seems like this device from LG will become a reality as the company has applied for these trademarks. This was done at the European Union Intellectual Property Office. What is more noteworthy is the fact that the application also includes the fact that the devices fall under Class 9. Class 9 also includes smartphones and is different from the ‘display for smartphones’ category. A display for smartphones category would have meant that this is just a prototype for a display, but Class 9 confirmed the fact that this is intact for a smartphone.

While the company has applied for trademarks for three names, it is still not clear whether they are working on three devices. It is a high possibility that they are just developing a single phone and will choose out of the three names in the end.

Earlier, patents for the foldable phones from LG had popped up, each showing different design. This included a device with a double display. The double display smartphone could be the ‘Duplex’ mentioned before. On the other hand, Flex and Foldi seem like names that would be used for a folding smartphone. Whether they are two different devices or just options to name the same devices, will be seen.

Also Read : Redmi Note 6 Pro With Dual Front Cameras Launched In India

LG’s addition to the folding phone race makes it even more exciting. Recently, Android had announced support for folding displays through its new UI. All these new innovations have us all excited about the future of mobile technology.

November 22, 2018
Rouyu Reveals FlexPai : World’s First Foldable Smartphone

The launch of a smartphone with a folding display was imminent, but this isn’t the one we were expecting. While the Samsung Galaxy ‘F’ or even the folding smartphone from LG and Huawei were on the table, Chinese manufacturer Rouyu has beaten them to the finish line. The Rouyu Flexpai has a 7.8 inch HD display and runs on the Snapdragon 8150 SoC. The Snapdragon 8150 (or the Snapdragon 855) is yet to be announced. It will be the next flagship processor from Qualcomm, based on the 7nm manufacturing process.

Specifications

These unique features make it the not only the first smartphone to have a folding display but also the first to run on the next generation processor from Qualcomm. The folding display is just 7.6 mm thick, according to the company. However, they haven’t specified as to whether this is an LCD or an OLED panel. The FlexiPai runs on the Snapdragon 8150, as mentioned before and has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. The smartphone is available in 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB storage options.

The smartphone has a dual, 16 MP + 20 MP rear camera setup, which consists of a wide-angle and a telephoto lens, respectively. The company did not mention anything about the battery capacity of the smartphone but did announce that it would support ‘Ro-Charge’, the company’s proprietary fast charging technology.

The company didn’t showcase the phone, just a few images and the key specifications. However, a popular leakster on twitter shared a hands-on demo with the device. This shows the folding mechanism of the smartphone. However, the design looks rough and the UI seems to struggle to keep up while folding the device. The smartphone shown in the video might just be a prototype or an earlier version, as we hope that the retail unit of the Rouyu Felxpai is much smoother.

https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1057568515324952577

Also Read: Honor Watch Magic With Heart Rate Sensor Launched

The FlexPai costs CNY 8,999 for its 6 GB + 128 GB version, CNY 9,998 for its 8 GB + 256 GB variant and CNY 12,999 for its 8GB + 512GB version. When converted, the starting price of the device is approximately Rs 95,380, which is sure to leave a fold in your pocket!

November 1, 2018
Samsung’s New Patent To Make The Entire Screen A Fingerprint Reader

With great leaps in smartphone technology, users are getting safer and more convenient ways to unlock their smartphones with each passing year. The first major breakthrough after basic security features such as pins and patterns was the inclusion of biometric security in smartphones. Slowly, that evolved, became faster and more secure. It is now present under the display, eliminating the need for a physical sensor. However, the latest patent by Samsung is now taking this a step further. Samsung is planning to turn the entire screen into a fingerprint reader.

The Future Of Displays

Currently, in-display fingerprint readers only cover a certain area of the screen and are not very accessible. The positioning of the fingerprint sensor is of the utmost importance. Just having it limited to a certain area on the screen is not ideal for any user. The latest patent from Samsung might solve this issue. The patent describes a way to make the entire display into a fingerprint scanner. This means that no matter where the user will place their hand, the device will be able to read the fingerprint and unlock.

The patent also describes that the device having this feature will have two processors. This consists of a main processor and a second, low power processor. The low power processor functions even when the display is not on. At the same time, the main processor is in sleep mode to save power. This secondary processor will then detect any touch and thus activate the biometric sensor. The smartphone will then conduct three scans for which it needs between 60 to 90 milliseconds. The processor needs 200 to 300 milliseconds to compute all this.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Might Launch With Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

It is reported that the technology is being made for use on a folding display and might be seen on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy F device. However, some sources also say that the technology in the patent will not be seen anytime soon and that we will have to wait a few more years for it to be available. But, immense competition from Chinese manufacturers might just drive Samsung to crack the whip and bring out this innovation faster.

October 23, 2018
Samsung To Launch Foldable Smartphone Soon

Samsung’s foldable smartphone has been a rumoured product for a long time now. But the Galaxy F might soon become a reality. A tablet that folds into a phone and fits into your pocket. Samsung has revealed, to a news website, at an event in Kuala Lumpur that this new product can become a reality early as November this year. This device will provide portability as a phone and also provide ease of use and allow for multitasking as a tablet. According to reports, the company has also said that the product will launch only if it is really meaningful to customers. Samsung added that if the user experience is not upto their standard, they won’t launch the phone.

Also Read: Samsung Is Gearing Up To Launch Foldable Smartphone This Year

The product will not merely be a gimmick product giving an indication that it will be available to the masses. Reports say that the Galaxy F will be available internationally. Samsung had teased a flexible OLED display at CES 2013. Subsequently a phone called Galaxy Round saw its launch. It has been 5 years since that and it seems the foldable display and foldable phones are now a reality. Every smartphone is aiming f0r a larger screen and if Samsung is able to pull something like this off, it might mean a major shift in the industry.

What this means for the industry

While Samsung has not released any details regarding the tablet/ smartphone, the foldable phones will finally allow phones to have screens larger than 6.5 inches. ZTE had experimented with foldable smartphones in 2017 with their Axon M. However, the market did not receive it well. Samsung previously has been called out for its big screens when they first launched the Galaxy phones. But they became a new benchmark in the phone industry with time. It will be interesting to see how and if the new foldable displays turn out to be a pathfinder in this regard.

October 13, 2018