World's first foldable phone-maker working on foldable smartwatches
Royole Corporation surprised us all when it launched FlexiPai, the world's first foldable phone last November. And now, the Shenzhen-based company is looking to enter the world of wearables with something interesting. According to a patent, Royole might be working on two smartwatches with foldable displays - something similar to Nubia's Alpha. Here's all about it.
Royole smartband with foldable display
As per the patent filing, Royole is planning a wearable with a slim flexible wristband featuring a rectangular display. Interestingly, the display will be a flexible OLED touchscreen panel that can open to provide access to a larger display surface. In the folded state, the screen will be held together using magnets. Notably, the flexible band is also said to house a flexible battery.
The company is also making a smart bracelet
Royole has also patented a smart bracelet which will feature the same screen technology but with a different band. Moreover, the display on this wearable will fold out downwards rather than sideways like on the band variant. This style will be over an elongated display that is akin to using a smartphone. The patent also highlights a rotating mechanism to fold/unfold the screen.
When will these Royole smart wearables launch? Maybe never
As of now, there is no confirmation that Royole is actually developing these smart wearable as both the patents were filed in 2017. Unfortunately, most of the times patents don't translate to actual devices that you can own. But surely, the filling suggests that Royole is exploring the idea of wearables with foldable displays, and that's an interesting takeaway.
Nubia and Lenovo have already introduced wearables with flexible displays
While Royole is working on something radically different, the idea of a flexible display on a wearable is not new. Lenovo has already showcased a device that could wrap around the wrist to morph into a smartwatch while TCL and Samsung are also said to be developing their own wearable devices. Moreover, Nubia has also launched Alpha as the world's first wearable phone.
