As we await to see what Motorola has cooking with the RAZR brand and a foldable phone, and, of course, look forward to seeing whatever it is Samsung is working on in the same department, there are still plenty of other companies out there planning on launching their own smartphones that might not follow along with the foldable design cue just yet. LG is one such company, with word on the street that its upcoming flagship phone, the G8, may have a very similar design to what we've seen in the last year or so.
That means a notch at the top of the display, probably more than one camera on the back, and the usual other standard features that go into a high-end Android smartphone. We actually saw an early render of what LG could be working on, but a company executive has already come out and said the renders "aren't real", or at least not what LG has probably finalized with the G8's design.
But there's supporting evidence to suggest LG might keep its next flagship smartphone's design pretty straightforward in 2019.
Before those renders surfaced, there was a report out that aimed to shed some light on what the Life's Good crew is considering to shake things up in 2019. If the company isn't ready to launch a foldable phone, despite the fact these devices will probably take up the lion's share of attention this year (for better or worse), then how can it help its own device really stand out?
How about a secondary display that will apparently attach to the phone, similar to how we put a case on our smartphone already? That's what we might get! This accessory could double the screen real estate when it's opened up, which is certainly an interesting idea. It's obviously similar to the folding scheme, just with a secondary piece rather than cramming it all into one device.
It sounds like an intriguing design choice on paper, but it could be a bit cumbersome in reality. The reason foldable phones are so exciting is because of the built-in feature to make a phone's display twice as big, or close to it, just by nature of the design of the phone itself. Just fold it up and put it in your pocket, then when you want a bigger screen for something like playing games you just unfold it and there you go.
But the idea that you can get the same design with an accessory? I don't know if that takes off. Mostly because that means you'll now have to remember to bring that accessory with you more often than not, and that doesn't sound all that great. "Hold on, let me get out this case real quick so I can make the screen bigger" isn't a better solution than simply unfolding the device, but it may be better than the standard phones that don't have any of these features.
It could come down to cost, too! Maybe someone thinks it's worth carrying an accessory if it means they can save hundreds of dollars when compared to the foldable phones coming down the pike. It might help if this accessory actually serves as a case, too, as it's described as, so it can protect the device at the same time.
Along with the other foldable phones from other companies, I'm genuinely excited to see what LG works up here. But what about you? Do you think this secondary screen accessory could be a hit for LG? Or should the company just wait until it has its own foldable phone? Let me know!
