Many companies have already jumped on the foldable phone bandwagon, but it may take years for the market to reach maturity. As such, the first companies to have their own foldable smartphones available on the market have a big advantage over those who didn't have the courage or resources to come out with such products yet.
Even though these foldable smartphones are still crazy expensive, there seems to be an audience for these. It remains to be seen how large this audience really is and whether or not foldable smartphones will become a thing, unlike 3D phones that disappeared very fast.
After Samsung, Motorola, and Huawei, it looks like HTC is readying its own foldable smartphone. Although HTC's foldable smartphone exists just on paper at the moment, the Taiwanese company seems to be interested in the concept.
HTC filed a patent for a new foldable smartphone late last year. The patent (spotted by LetsGoDigital) was published back in August by the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) and judging from the sketches, HTC's device doesn't look too good. The technology behind it needs to be streamlined, that's for sure.
HTC patent drawings
The hinge mechanism is the first weird thing noticeable in the pictures. It protrudes outwards and while it might offer an additional layer of sturdiness to the phone, it's quite unpleasant for the eyes. But the biggest question mark is that HTC's device folds outwards, so the display will always be on the outside.
HTC's foldable smartphone doesn't seem to feature a secondary display like Motorola's new RAZR, but because it folds outwards, it should allow users to operate the phone without having to open it, at least in theory.
LetsGoDigital made a handful of renders based on the patent drawings filed by HTC, but the final device might not look like what we're seeing in these images. It's hard to say if HTC is still determined to launch its own foldable smartphone, but if it does, let's hope it comes up with a better concept.
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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brings a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
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