Nubia has patented 16 different designs (via two separate patents on WIPO) for a flexible display, and all 16 of them sport notches. Eight designs include two notches, one on the top, and one on the bottom of the display, while the other eight designs sport notches only on the top, though designs of those notches are… well, unique.
These are patents for a smartphone display, and the company would not really patent this if they did not plan to utilize at least some of them on smartphones. Display notches are not exactly loved by users, and this may not be the best idea for Nubia, at least when designs with notches on the top and bottom are concerned, but it sure is… different. At least these notches are tiny, so that’s something.
Truth be said, these two patents were submitted way back in March 2018, but they were published on April 12, so they’re brand new, in a sense, at least for the general public. These displays seem to sport really tall display aspect ratio, 21:9 if not higher, so it will be interesting to see what exactly is the company planning here.
Nubia is not a stranger to odd ideas, the company recently released a smartwatch phone, if that’s the right word to describe the Nubia Alpha. That device features a flexible display that bends around the watch band, and it quite frankly looks odd, but it’s unique, that’s for sure, so maybe Nubia is aiming to grab attention in a similar way with a smartphone that sports two display notches.
These flexible display patents may be aimed at Nubia’s foldable smartphone. We did not really get any info regarding the company’s foldable smartphone just yet, but the company may be working on one. Considering that smartphone OEMs are still trying to figure out what is the perfect design for foldable smartphones, Nubia may be trying to do that as well, which is why we’re looking at such interesting flexible display designs here.
Royole, Samsung, and Huawei had introduced their foldable smartphone already, while Motorola is expected to do the same in the near future, as the Motorola Razr got certified over at Bluetooth SIG recently. Royole was first to announce a foldable smartphone, its FlexPai handset, while Samsung and Huawei followed with the Galaxy Fold and Mate X handsets, respectively.
Royole, Samsung, and Huawei all utilized rather different approaches to foldable smartphones, and if Motorola’s patent is anything to go by, Motorola will also go a different way. Motorola’s first foldable smartphone is expected to resemble the company’s Razr cellphone which was announced a long time ago, and that actually seems like a rather good idea as far as foldable smartphones are concerned.
We still have no idea what design will Nubia go with, will its smartphone fold inwards or outwards, or anything of the sort. These patents could be an indication that Nubia is planning to release a foldable device in the future, though, and if that is the case, chances are we will see some leaks in the near future.
