Huawei Patents A Smartphone With Rear Secondary Display

Mobile phones Manufacturer Huawei apparently wants to bring momentum to the otherwise rather poorly innovative smartphone market and has patented a model with a rear secondary display. Will that work?

Even in difficult times like these, new smartphones appear every month. They regularly get stronger processors, but in terms of design, comparatively little has been done in the last few years. The first manufacturers are trying to bring a breath of fresh air into the uniform with foldable displays, so far with moderate success. Huawei is now taking a different path and has patented a small but fine innovation. According to the report, the Chinese manufacturer recently secured the design rights to a smartphone with a rear secondary display. This is not about a full-fledged additional screen. Rather, the new feature is a kind of status screen in mini format.

Secondary displays possible in several variations

According to published concept images, it is in close proximity to the main camera and shows, among other things, the time. It is not known whether the display also provides further information such as information about incoming messages or the temperature. It also remains uncertain whether it is an interactive touchscreen. 

Apparently you want to operate the small screen permanently switched on an always-on mode. In further pictures, Huawei shows variations of the concept in which the display is positioned either above, below, or between the camera lenses. It remains unclear whether one of these models will actually make it onto the market. Manufacturers often secure patents as a precaution, and actual implementation does not always follow. Huawei is not the first one to register the patent, Oppo has already registered a patent with a secondary display about two years ago, but due to some constraints, Oppo is not able to bring the phone with a secondary display on the market until now.