Although Samsung is the leader in the foldable smartphone market, other manufacturers like Xiaomi and OPPO are doing everything to catch up with the Korean giant. Oppo is currently working on a three-fold smartphone.
After unveiling its first Find N foldable smartphone a few weeks ago, OPPO is now reportedly working on a rather atypical smartphone, since it would be able to fold in three parts. Indeed, our colleagues from LetsGoDigital discovered that Oppo had filed a patent on July 6, 2021 with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) for a phone that can be folded in two different places, and the latter was approved at the beginning of February.
Oppo’s patent reveals that the smartphone has a 7.1-inch main screen and of one 5.5 inch external display. The device should therefore offer a size quite similar to the current Find N, but it should still be 15% narrower. We imagine that it will use a screen signed Samsung Display, since the Korean giant already presented last year a panel capable of folding in three parts during Display Week 2021.
A smartphone foldable in three, what for?
According to the patent, the main interest of this second hinge is to allow the part containing the cameras to be folded forwards, so as to take advantage of the smartphone’s main photo sensors for selfies. Unlike the OPPO Find N, so the smartphone does not seem to have a front sensor on the main screen, which helps provide a more immersive experience. There is nevertheless a sensor for selfies on the external screen, although it also seems possible to use the photo sensors on the back with this screen.
The volume and power buttons are arranged on each side of the smartphone, while there are grids at the bottom and top for stereo speakers, but also a USB-C port on the smaller foldable part.
For now, it’s unclear when Oppo might unveil such a device, but a tri-folding smartphone may not be released until next year. While waiting for the arrival of a three-part foldable smartphone, Oppo should unveil its first clamshell device by the end of 2022, and it already looks cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Source: LetsGoDigital
