XDA Developers have managed to obtain some extra info regarding Motorola’s upcoming foldable smartphone. Before we get to it, though, it’s worth noting that Motorola’s VP of Global Product, Dan Dery, confirmed quite recently that the company is actually working on a foldable smartphone, though he did not say anything about the device just yet.
To put things into perspective, a report that surfaced a while back claimed that the company’ foldable smartphone will sport the “Razr” branding, which essentially means that the company will revive the Razr brand. On top of that, patent sketches of the company’s foldable smartphone also surfaced a while back, giving us a good idea as to what to expect out of the device.
Getting to XDA’s information, the source says that it can confirm that Motorola’s upcoming foldable handset will sport two displays, though it also says that it cannot confirm the name of the device just yet, as that info was not made available to it. The source also says that the phone will sport a clamshell design, as patent sketches suggested, though it did not confirm that exact design.
Now, XDA also received some info regarding the phone’s secondary display, the smaller one on the outside, and the source says that you will not be able to access the entire Android experience via that display, when the device is folded. Motorola will allegedly restrict which apps can access that display when the phone is folded, and at the moment, the prototype can only access pre-installed system applications (Moto Display, Moto Actions, and so on), though that may change by the time the device gets released.
When the phone is unfolded, its secondary display can act as a trackpad, the source notes. That trackpad has quite a limited functionality at the moment, as it is limited to scrolling websites and apps, but that will probably change in the future. The secondary display will be able to display six quick settings tiles, and it is yet unknown whether the company will allow you to scroll through more than six, but those six quick settings tiles will be able to fit that display.
When using the camera app, users will be able to tap on the primary display in order to capture a photo, or swipe across it in order to zoom in. Regarding Google Assistant, you will be able to call upon it while the phone is closed, if you choose. If you enable this option, a Google Assistant icon will show up on the secondary display, if not, you will be prompted to unfold the device.
Motorola is working on a custom version of Moto Display app, that will allow you to see the clock, pulsing notifications, and control media via the secondary display. Also, you will be able to set a different wallpaper on that second display, it seems. The phone is allegedly referred to as “Voyager” internally, that is its codename, and this is all the info that XDA’s source was able to provide.
We still do not know when will this phone become official, but it is expected to arrive later this year. It seems like Motorola’s foldable phone will be different to others we’ve seen thus far, and it does sound like it will be quite interesting, especially if those patent sketches are anything to go by.