There are patents that make the public want the concept to come to fruition as soon as possible. On the other hand, there are patents that baffle and puzzle over the thought process that led to such a strange idea. Oppo's latest patent undoubtedly belongs to the second group. We've seen more than one dual-screen smartphone, but Oppo's idea of ββa retractable secondary display certainly qualifies for the top oddity and uselessness rating, if there were one.
Most of the latest patents in the field of smartphone design use all sorts of tricks and tricks to solve the main problem: to remove the bezels around the display, but at the same time provide the user with access to the front camera. In the case under discussion, there is nothing like that, since the camera and front sensors are still present on the top panel of the phone.
Oppo's patent is designed to expand the phone's screen real estate without using a foldable design. And the only way to do that is to build in a second display. Two-screen devices, as a rule, are either clamshells, or the second display is placed on the back side. Oppo also suggests using a sliding mechanism to access the second screen.
Today, a similar design is used for the front camera, but in the Oppo patent, a second fairly large screen is pulled up from the case. In another version, the screen slides out to the side. In both cases, the user does not get a full-fledged second display, but something like a secondary screen.
LetsGoDigital believes that such an additional screen can be useful to have controls or access to non-essential applications while immersed in a game or watching a video in full screen. But how much such functionality do people need? Such a complex design will not only increase the cost of the product, but also significantly reduce the battery capacity (after all, a noticeable part of the body will be given to the second screen). Not to mention durability. Luckily, it's just a patent.
Source: 3dnews.ru