For a foldable Windows PC, Microsoft is likely to enter into a partnership with American chip and computer manufacturer Intel. The two companies have been working closely together for years. Intel has also shown two prototypes of foldable devices at Computex 2018, one of a foldable smartphone and one of a notebook – also known as the Tiger Rapids project. Both prototypes also have two separate displays. Only the housing is foldable, similar to the ZTE Axon M.
Chances are that future mobile devices will also be unveiled with not two but three display parts. This way, an even larger screen surface can be created. Several manufacturers have already applied for a patent for such a type of device, such as LG and Samsung, but also computer manufacturers such as IBM and Intel see possibilities here.
This time LetsGoDigital got a patent from Intel. The documentation describes a folding smartphone that unfolds into a large tablet consisting of three screen parts. In order to give this design a patent visual form, LetsGoDigital has developed various 3D renders.
Intel foldable smartphone tablet
In mid-2017, the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) published a patent from Intel Corporation for an electronic device with foldable display panels. It is a design patent with many images and a summary description. Striking is the versatility of the device.
When the device is fully folded, you have a smartphone that you can operate with one hand. Components like the cameras and sensors and the receiver are all placed under the display. The device, therefore, has no bezel; it is a full-screen foldable smartphone that can expand into a large tablet and be used as a mobile workstation.
The smartphone is a bit thicker than the competitor, which is not surprising because the Intel foldable smartphone is not once, but twice open. In other words, the device consists of three display parts, so you get an extra large tablet at your disposal. Each screen section appears to have two cameras (six in total).
The foldable Intel smartphone is also equipped with a stylus pen, similar to the S Pen as we know from the Galaxy Note series. Intel has come up with an ingenious storage pocket for the pen. When you fold the device, you can slide the pen into the corner of the housing; the pin is then locked between the curved display and the housing. Possibly the stylus pen is held magnetically in place.
The smartphone can also be folded open to one side, so you have a dual-screen smartphone at your disposal, as we have seen more often with foldable smartphone models. Whether you unfold the phone to the left or right side does not matter. The interface will probably be adjusted accordingly.
The use of three display parts has another advantage, you can bend the screens towards each other, creating a triangle. This way you can easily and stably place the foldable smartphone on a table. Handy when you want to discuss a presentation or watch a video, but also, for example, to use the device as an alarm clock.
Foldable Intel devices
Unfortunately, whether such a foldable Intel smartphone/tablet is ever manufactured remains. For the time being, you do not have to expect such products in any case. Finally, such a large screen also requires a huge battery capacity.
Intel has so far limited itself to prototypes with two displays. To save energy, the Tiger Rapids notebook is equipped with a regular LCD display and an EPD (Electronic Paper Display). This dual-screen notebook can also be operated with a stylus pen and will probably be presented by one of Intel’s partners at the end of the year, as PC World reported halfway through last year.
