Motorola’s foldable smartphone is expected to sport two displays and the second smaller display is reported to come with a slew of functionalities.
Highlights:
- Functionalities of the secondary smaller display on Motorola’s foldable phone leaked.
- The smaller screen could come with support for select apps.
- It could also work as a touchpad or help capture images.
The recently concluded MWC 2019 suggested that 5G phones and devices with foldable displays will be the trend this year. Some of the biggest smartphone makers like Samsung and Huawei have dived into the new segment, along with the likes of LG, all of which have come up with their own rendition of a foldable smartphone. Motorola is another such company that is in plans to create a foldable device but has revealed little about its upcoming product. While we do know that Motorola’s foldable phone could resemble the iconic RAZR V3 from the 2000s, XDA Developers says they now have some details on the phone’s software and how it might work.
As per the report, Motorola is working on a smartphone that has two displays. However, the phone’s clamshell design means that there is a tall flexible display on the inside, which flips out and the second display is on the outer side of the phone. This smaller secondary external display is said to work with only a few apps as the company has restricted the apps that can “access display on flip.” Citing a source, XDA Developers says that right now, only some set pre-installed apps like Moto Display, Moto Actions and the Moto Camera app are able to display content on the “closed display.”
Additionally, when unfolded, the secondary display can work as a trackpad but currently its limited to enable scrolling in web pages in Chrome and an app’s timeline. There could be up to six quick settings tiles on the display and it is not known if these would be customisable or not. While using the camera, one will reportedly be able to click a photo, or swipe up on the primary display to zoom in. This option could be useful when a user wants to click a selfie and a countdown timer could also be displayed on the secondary screen.
The Google Assistant’s animation could also be displayed on a smaller screen when the phone is closed. This is said to happen if the user enables the option, otherwise, one will be prompted to “flip open to unlock” the device. The company is also said to be testing the Moto Display app to show a clock, pulsing notifications, and enable controlling media using the external display. There could also be a provision to set a different wallpaper on the smaller display.
We first came to know about Motorola’s foldable phone in January this year when a report suggested that the company might revive its Razr series, but with a foldable display. Later, some renders of the alleged phone surfaced at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, tipping at the device’s design and reaffirming the possible revival of the Razr phone. Recently, the company's VP of Global Product, Dan Dery, confirmed that there is a foldable smartphone in the works but didn’t reveal its details. Leaked renders of the phone suggested that it could feature a tall primary display that folds inwards, hence the clamshell design, and there might be a secondary display on the back of the top part, when the phone is folded.
Related Reads:
Motorola's foldable smartphone confirmed, could resemble RAZR
All the foldable smartphones announced so far at MWC 2019
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