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This foldable phone patent includes a pop-up selfie camera for a notch-free screen
It seems like most of the big-name manufacturers have all shown off foldable phone designs in recent months, and OPPO is no exception. The company revealed a Mate X-style foldable phone design earlier this year, but a new patent suggests it might add another trendy feature to its device.
Let’s Go Digital spotted a patent for a foldable phone with a popup selfie camera at the World Intellectual Property Office. The camera faces inwards when the tablet is unfolded, serving as a selfie shooter. But it can either be a selfie camera or a rear shooter when the device is folded, depending on how you hold it.
This OPPO foldable phone design theoretically means you don’t need a camera grip like the HUAWEI Mate X. It also means you don’t need a notch like the Samsung Galaxy Fold — you’re looking at a full-screen display for the most part.
The only real downside to this design is that the camera/cameras don’t face out when in tablet mode. This might be an issue if you want a big screen when taking photos for whatever reason. Otherwise, it’s a great trade-off, as it means you can conduct video calls and take selfies with the large screen anyway. This is also an ideal setup if you want to hook the device up to a Bluetooth keyboard for productivity purposes, using the camera setup for conference calls and the like.
In any event, this OPPO foldable phone design is just a patent at this point. It might not see the light of day after all, but it’s definitely an interesting way to deliver a relatively full-screen foldable experience. What do you think of this patent? Let us know in the comments section!