Sharp’s prototype phone folds vertically to turn into a clamshell device akin to Motorola’s Razr

Motorola’s Razr phone with its striking appearance and thin profile went on to sell more than 130 million units, becoming the best-selling clamshell phone in the world to date, and now Japan’s Sharp is promising to revive the concept with a little twist to it.

According to Engadget Japan, the company yesterday showed off a concept of a foldable smartphone that folds vertically, allowing the device to turn itself into a clamshell phone not unlike the aforementioned Razr. Sharp has confirmed that the screen could be implemented with an outward folding design as well.

The prototype device features a flexible 6.18-inch OLED display with an elongated 1,440-by-3,040 pixel resolution that the company claims can be bent 300,000 times before a crease in the middle becomes visible to the naked eye.

Motorola’s RAZR V3i clamshell mobile phone was extremely popular back in the day.

From the report:

It’s reminiscent of Sony’s new Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus devices with their long 21:9 displays, but while we found those too lanky to comfortably use, Sharp’s would be much easier to pocket given it folds down to half its size.

This thing is a technology showcase prototype so don’t count on it being released commercially anytime soon.