Honor is developing a new foldable technology that will enable the creation of a device that features a multi-directional foldable display. Details of the technology have been revealed in a patent document that shows how such a device would work. It is currently unclear whether Honor plans to launch a device with this technology in the future. While smartphones with clamshell-style and book-style folding screens have become popular, Huawei launched the first tri-folding smartphone last month, and other companies, including Honor, will follow suit.

A recent patent document has been published. saw Via 91 Mobile shows how Honor’s multidirectional foldable phone will work. It relies on several components that work together, including multiple hinge mechanisms, several housings for small parts, and a piece that connects the components in between.

The patent includes drawings that show the use of various display components.
Photo credit: Screenshot / CNIPA

As detailed in the patent document, the aforementioned hinge mechanisms are located behind the foldable screen. Because they are centrally located, connected displays can be attached to different axes depending on the number of hinges.

Honor has also envisioned the use of a single connecting piece in the middle of the device and connects all the hinge mechanisms together. It can essentially be folded along two axes (along its width and length), thus providing the benefits of a compact clamshell-style foldable, while also providing a larger screen when needed, of course. Like a book-style folding phone.

To ensure that the device is flexible yet durable, Honor’s patent document describes the use of materials such as rubber, fiber, or metal. It also recommends specific designs for the intermediate connecting piece and the housing for the components, to ensure that the structural integrity of the device is preserved.

It’s worth keeping in mind that manufacturers are finally confirming the arrival of tri-fold smartphones, after years of single-hinged foldable phones. Such an innovative foldable system could improve not only foldable phones but also tablets, laptops or even wearables. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the device mentioned in the patent will likely take years to arrive as a consumer product.