With they hyper-competitive nature of the smartphone market, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. Some of the ways to do so include getting the “gaming phone” label, or having a more outrageous design like a foldable display. And based on a recent patent that Sharp was granted, it looks like the company is trying to combine both.
Sharp’s patent depicts a phone with a display that folds like a clamshell smartphone, with circles underneath both the top and bottom portions of the display. These appear to be dedicated gaming controls. Because of the folding nature of the phone, it can be folded inwards for a more comfortable holding position.
Also, based on the render at least, it doesn’t look like the phone has any visible front-facing cameras.
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The company reportedly applied for the patent as early as 2017 with the US Patent Office. They were reportedly published a few days ago, with LetsGoDigital cooking up renders for the design.
As a phone maker, Sharp has frequently made them with designs that look pretty good. That said, this particular one is still just a patent, and may remain so indefinitely.
(Source: LetsGoDigital via BGR)
