Lenovo demos foldable phone prototype

Most Chinese smartphone makers are doubling their efforts to release foldable phones by the end of 2018. Even Samsung arguably ignored the Galaxy Note 9 in favor of the upcoming Galaxy X foldable phone that is supposed to be unveiled this November. Lenovo is also considering a possible foldable phone launch in the coming months, and, to prove that it has the technology figured out, the company demoed a working prototype at this year’s Lenovo Tech World event.

Twitter user bang_gogo_ posted a short video showing the prototype in action, and it looks like Lenovo is going to implement something similar to Samsung’s design. The middle-right side of the display presents a darkened spot, and this is most likely the area where the hinge comes in contact with the display. As this is an early prototype, this issue will hopefully not be present in the final products.

While the latest smartphone models are completely ditching any buttons at the bottom of the screen, Lenovo’s foldable prototype still integrates not one, but three shortcut buttons. Even though the tall display is said to be AMOLED-based, the blacks become washed-out when the folding is in full effect, so maybe Lenovo could improve this aspect for the final versions, as well. The Android interface and apps are responsive even when the display is folded, however, it is unclear if the display can fully fold.

Other devices that could soon be launched by Lenovo may include a foldable laptop and a new foldable version of the well-known Motorola RAZR.