Oppo patents reveal unique block-based foldable phone design

Oppo has bagged patents for as many as four foldable smartphone designs. One of the designs also features under-display camera and up to eight blocks.

Oppo foldable phone designs  (Gizmochina)

Even as Samsung, Huawei and Motorola have led the foldable phone segment, Oppo is also looking to enter the fray. As of now, there is no possibility of a commercial Oppo foldable phone. But a new report has revealed Oppo's patents for what appears to be a different approach to foldable smartphone designs.

According to Gizmochina, Oppo's patents reveal a unique block structure. The company has patented as many as four foldable smartphone designs. The first design features a phone with six blocks and two hinges. It folds inwards. The phone houses a dual-camera setup with an LED flash. The back panel of the phone is barren.

The second design reveals two hinges and six blocks. In this design, the foldable phone houses a triple camera setup with an LED flash on the rear. The phone is capable of folding inward as well outward, adds the report.

The third design goes more modular with as many eight blocks. Interestingly, the phone design retains two hinges. The patent sketches don't feature any camera cutouts. According to the Gizmochina report, the phone could come with an under-display camera.

The fourth design also has eight blocks and two hinges. The subtle difference between this design and the one above mentioned is that it has three rear cameras. This version of the phone folds inwards unlike the previous one that folded outwards.

That said, patents do not necessarily translate into a commercial design. The concept, however, gives away about the company's approach to design and functionalities.

Back in February 2019, Oppo had teased a foldable phone, a prototype though. The device came with a hinge design and a camera strap on the back that showed up in the folded form. Oppo's foldable phone looked identical to Huawei's Mate X with a side panel housing the cameras.