At the end of February this year, Oppo revealed what the first generation of the foldable smartphone looks like and it resembled a lot like the Mate X foldable from Huawei. But a new patent suggests that Oppo’s foldable phone might come with not one but two trendy features with a different design from what had been teased months ago.
A new patent has been spottedby LetsGoDigital, at World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) indicating a foldable smartphone from Oppo but with a pop-up camera. The foldable phone has minimal bezels with no notches on the display and folds outward, meaning both sides of the display are exposed when folded.
One differentiating thing about Oppo’s design is the presence of a pop-up camera which faces inward when used in tablet mode and thus offering operation for capturing selfies. However, the same camera can be used as the rear sensor when the device is folded and used with the viewfinder facing the other way.
The latest Oppo design, in theory, solves unsymmetrical display problem that arose from the slit on one side of the Huawei Mate X, which housed the camera unit. The downside to this feature is that users won’t be able to use the rear camera in tablet mode. Another disadvantage could be the presence of moving parts on the phone, which is never ideal for a device you use roughly on a daily basis.
The renders shared online also reveal a slit on the other side of the back cover where the pop-up camera rests when not in use. The pictures also show a 3.5mm Audio Jack and bottom speakers.
At this point, Oppo’s foldable phone looks nothing but just an idea and we don’t expect it to be a reality anytime soon.
Prior to this, Oppo teased a notchless phone with the first-of-its-kind under-display selfie camera. Oppo VP Brian Shen said the technology is still “in its early days”. He explained “At this stage, it’s difficult for under-display cameras to match the same results as normal cameras, there’s bound to be some loss in optical quality. But, no new technology jumps to perfection right away”.