LG Patents Galaxy Note 10 Competitor: A Foldable Smartphone With Stylus

LG patented a new foldable smartphone design that takes some defining features from other devices and combines them into one good-looking device with a stylus.

The International Business Times previously reported LG’s patent for a foldable smartphone that features a “Z-fold” design. That device had two screens, one small outer display and one large folding inner display, that can be combined to work as one huge display. Now a new patent reveals LG’s plans to use just one display along with the best features other smartphones have.

According to a patent spotted by Dutch-speaking site Let’s Go Digital, LG is planning on creating a foldable smartphone that has two hinges that fold outwardly. While some might say that the design looks similar to the Huawei Mate X, it’s not the same -- LG’s design divides the phone into three parts, two of which “stack up” on each other when folded.

A display the size of a smartphone screen is left useable when the device is folded. When unfolded, however, the display widens to a size similar to those found in tablets. The patent didn’t specify the actual display size when the device is folded or unfolded, but the patent illustrations as well as renders made by Let’s Go Digital reveal that they are huge.

There’s a huge chin on the right edge of the display which houses three cameras. These cameras can be positioned to be forward-facing or rear-facing depending on whether the device is unfolded or not.

Some interesting features

The patented smartphone design makes use of two specially-designed hinges. The hinge on the right side is larger than the one on the left, and leaves an opening when the device is folded. This opening, the patent revealed, is for a stylus -- the perfect accessory for when the device is used in tablet mode.

The patent also revealed that the device doesn’t have any ports or buttons except for a charging port. There are no buttons at the top or on the sides, and there’s no headphone jack. BGR noted that this will allow LG to make the device as thin as can be.

Readers are advised not to get too excited about the design. It is still just a patent, which means it may or may not be translated into a real product. That said, it’s still interesting to think how the device will fare against the Galaxy Note 10 and Mate X, two devices it was obviously designed to compete against.