LG teases dual-screen phone for IFA that could incorporate a futuristic translucent display panel

LG has indicated that it is not currently pursuing a foldable smartphone with a flexible OLED panel like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate X. That doesn’t mean, however, that it isn’t interested in pursuing the idea of a phone with at least a secondary display as an accessory. We’ve already seen it adopt that approach on the LG V50 5G smartphone although in that instance the secondary display is not as large or the same shape as the main display. Things could change on its next dual-display smartphone, however.

The company has rolled out a new video teaser for a smartphone set to debut at IFA Berlin and it is intriguing to say the least. It could be a smartphone that follows in the footsteps of the V50 with dual-screen accessory case. Or it could be like the dual-screen smartphones we’ve seen like the ZTE Axon M. However, it is more likely that it could be something quite different altogether and hitherto unseen on a smartphone before.

We think LG could be set to stun the smartphone world with a device that includes a translucent or transparent OLED screen that folds out and is then activated as a secondary display. If you look at the teaser video closely, you will see what appears to be a transparent display that covers the primary display which then folds out before activating. This would also explain how it shows what appears to be a tertiary display when closed again, which could be the transparent OLED panel or the main panel that sits under it when closed lighting up when closed and shining through the top layer.

The smartphone could be of course be disappointingly conventional in approach but there is something about the way the company has rolled out this teaser well in advance that suggests we are not in store for more of what we have previously seen before, but something quite different. LG has successfully produced translucent LCD and OLED panels, but these have only been used in commercial applications to date. Applying the technology as a secondary display on a smartphone is the kind of innovation that would be worth it starting the IFA hype machine this far out from IFA Berlin.

What do you think LG has up its sleeve?