Motorola is working on a new foldable phone with a motorized hinge system. We’ve seen tons of different foldable phones lately, and this time a new one comes from Motorola.

The hinge of Motorola’s new foldable phone It will have a mechanism that automatically adjusts the angle of the phone. Motorola’s idea came with a filing with the US Patent Office, and according to the patent application, the phone will adjust the hinge with a motorized system by tracking the user’s movements so that the phone screen can be held at the ideal angle.

This type of hinge system has appeared on other devices before. For example, Lenovo’s laptop introduced at IFA 2023 used a similar technology, but because Lenovo’s laptop had a much larger structure, it had more space to accommodate the necessary motors and other components. Because foldable phones have smaller form factors, integrating such a mechanism poses a more challenging technical problem.

How will the mechanism work?

In the past, phones with pop-up selfie cameras were also equipped with such motorized systems, but manufacturers abandoned this design because these mechanisms negatively affected the overall design of the phones and took up space. Now Motorola is is taking steps to solve this problem with its new hinge technology.

According to the patent in the hinge system of the phone small motors and special materials that can change shape when heat is applied will be used. These materials can change shape using electrical energy supplied by the battery. It is also stated that the phone will automatically adjust the hinge by monitoring user movements with an artificial intelligence-enabled system.

While it’s not yet clear whether Motorola will turn this technology into a commercial product, such an innovation could be a revolutionary step for foldable phones.