Oppo’s patent shows a folding smartphone with a pop-up camera. (Image source: World Intellectual Property Office)Earlier this year, Oppo had shown the prototype of its first foldable smartphone which looked quite similar to the Huawei Mate X. Now a patent has emerged which suggests that Oppo’s foldable smartphone may come with a pop-up camera.
Oppo filed the patent with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) on October 27, 2018, and the same got published recently. It was first spotted by Dutch website LetsGoDigital, and according to the patent, the foldable smartphone from Oppo features a motorised pop-up camera. The foldable device has a notchless display and gets folded outward and not like a book thereby exposing the display on being folded.
Technically the pop-up camera seems amazing however there’s a small issue with this, the camera can only click selfies when it is open in tablet mode. It can be a problem if a user wishes a big screen while clicking the picture. Apart from this, the concept of the patent seems great as users will be able to take selfies or have video calls on a big screen.
According to the patent, there is also a slit in the other side of the back where the pop-up camera stays down when not used. Apart from this, the patent images also show that there is a 3.5 mm audio port for headphones and speaker grille. There is no sidebar for holding the device and it seems that single-handed use may be a little tricky. Also with the pop-up camera setup on the foldable smartphone, the device might not be too slim.
At the moment, this patent is just on paper and yet to be realised. Whether this smartphone becomes a reality soon needs to be seen. However, with this patent, Oppo in a way has given an idea of a pop-up camera in a foldable device.
Also read: Oppo shows off images of its upcoming foldable smartphone, looks similar to Huawei Mate X
To recall, Oppo Vice President Brian Shen had showcased a prototype of its upcoming foldable smartphone earlier this year. That prototype looked quite similar to the Huawei Mate X which was launched the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. However, he did not reveal any details about the device including specifications, price or when the company was planning to launch it.
