Google Patents Folding Screen Design For Pixel

Illustrations Google Pixel 4 (doc GSM Arena)

JAKARTA - Google recently registered a new design for Pixel smartphones with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The registered patent shows a foldable or foldable phone design on the Google Pixel.

Reported by Tech Radar, this patent has been registered by Google since October 2018, but the USPTO only published it on April 30, 2020. Based on the patent design, Google will adopt folding screen technology, such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Motorola Razr or Huawei Mate X.

Interestingly, Google doesn't make its device fold 180 degrees, like the folding screen phone designs that competitors have sold. Google actually designed the Pixel flexible screen so that it can be rolled up.

The design concept is possible, because Google has embedded a small circular hinge mechanism between the stretch of the screen. So that the size of the Pixel phone can be folded without leaving an empty gap from the protrusion of the hinge.

Google Pixel folding screen design concept (USPTO doc)

Google also did not explain in detail, this design concept will be used on smartphone or tablet devices. However, Google's move to make a folding screen phone is not too surprising.

This is because the folding screen design has become a trend in itself among smartphone vendors. Moreover, Google has started to penetrate the global smartphone market, since introducing its Pixel series.

As for now, a number of large smartphone vendors such as Samsung have launched two versions of their first folding screen phones to the market, namely the Galaxy Fold and Z Flip. Both variants of the cellphone are sold at a price range of Rp. 12 to Rp. 30 million.

But certainly, the Google Pixel folding screen phone design won't be realized in the near future. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of smartphone manufacturers have to reduce their production numbers, until the end of 2020.