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We have almost reached the edges of the phone when it comes
to display size, but smartphone makers this year will continue to
increase screen-to-body ratios. The best example is the Galaxy S10,
a highly anticipated Android flagship that will feature an Infinity-O
display with very tiny bezels. The only other way to extend a phone’s
screen is to go for a foldable design — mobile devices that can operate
in tablet and smartphone modes. Samsung is also doing that in 2019,
although the Galaxy F will reportedly be released with limited
availability and a sky-high price tag. But new reports say that a new LG
phone, not necessarily the LG G8 that should be unveiled at MWC 2019
next month, might feature a totally different design unlike anything
else we’ll see this year.
Reports say that the unnamed phone will feature more screen than any
regular flagship smartphone this year, because LG is toying with the
idea of adding a secondary display to the phone. And this isn’t the kind
of rear-facing secondary display that we saw on some Android devices
last year, because you’d be able to use both screens at the same time.
Korean news site Naver says
that the dual-display handset will be unveiled at MWC alongside the G8.
It’s unclear whether or not the G8 will also have two screens.
This
unusual phone will have two displays that can be connected to form a
single screen. Here’s where things get a bit crazy. When the second
display isn’t connected, the device will supposedly have a display that
only measures about 4 inches, which is smaller than what you find on a
modern smartphone these days. But the screen goes up to 7-inches when
the second screen is used.
It’s unclear what the handset will look
like, as we have no illustrations at this point. Smartphones with two
connected displays already exist, like the ZTE Axon M, and it’s what we
used to refer to as foldable phones. Ugly foldable phones, that is.
The
report also notes that the phone will feature a “touchless” input mode
where the user will be able to interact with the screen from 20 to 30cm
away without actually touching it. The front camera would be able to
detect and recognize the movements and turn them into actions on the
screen.
This LG phone will reportedly be significantly cheaper
than the Galaxy F foldable handset, retailing for a price closer to what
regular smartphones go for these days.
A second report from CNET
delivers the same news, that LG is working on a phone with two
displays, but that’s not a foldable handset. The name of the product
hasn’t been finalized, the report says.
The attachment, which the
person describes as a sort of case with a screen, could potentially
double the total screen size of the device.
It’s one of multiple
phones launching at the Mobile World Congress trade show next month, the
person said. While the company is mulling the G8 name, it’s unclear
whether the multiple-screen phone will carry the name of its flagship
line.
Even if LG doesn’t launch a foldable phone this year, the
company must be developing technology for such devices. Reports said in
the past that Apple partnered with LG Display to keep the design of its
foldable iPhone prototype secret from Samsung.
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