Could Motorola's foldable smartphone mark the return of the clamshell design?
Highlights;
- Motorola's foldable smartphone could look like the iconic RAZR V3 from the 2000s
- Motorola might even pursue a dual-hinge design
Big players in the smartphone industry like Samsung and Huawei have been busy showcasing their foldable smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, while Motorola has been keeping silent. Now, however, a new interview by Engadget reveals that Motorola is indeed actively working on its first foldable smartphone and that the Lenovo-owned company could launch it sometime before the year ends. More importantly, the interview suggests that Motorola’s upcoming foldable smartphone could resemble the RAZR, the popular clamshell phone from the 2000s.
Renders published by Engadget reveal a RAZR-like design in that the phone folds shut like a traditional clamshell handset but opens up to show a vertical folding touchscreen with a tall aspect ratio on the inside. There is, of course, that famous RAZR chin at the bottom, which could house essential electronics including a USB Type-C port. On the outside, the device has a small squarish display, which might be a touchscreen that could enable users to perform some basic functions. For all we know, Motorola might even go in for a dual-hinge design, where the same single screen folds twice.
Referring to a design that’s similar to the one seen on the Huawei Mate X, Dan Dery, the Vice President of Global Product at Motorola commented, “The fact that you're touching [that kind of display] with your nails is scratching it. It has a short life right away; it starts dying the day you unpack it. But it's beautiful. That first day, it's beautiful.” When asked if Motorola would go in for a Z-shaped hinge design, Dery denied and said that it just wouldn’t be a design practical enough for Motorola to pursue while designing its very first foldable smartphone.
If Motorola’s first foldable smartphone is actually designed like the original RAZR and branded similarly, fans are bound to be excited. To refresh your memory, the original Motorola RAZR V3 was first announced in 2004. It had a 2.2-inch 9-line TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels on the inside. The battery on it was a removable 680mAh unit. It went on to become one of Motorola’s most iconic phone designs. We can expect Motorola’s first foldable smartphone sometime later this year.
Cover image courtesy: Engadget
Related Read: Samsung Galaxy Fold unfolded in a 4-minute long video
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