Is this what OnePlus' tri-fold smartphone would look like if it ever debuts?

OnePlus has considered making a foldable smartphone, at least according to a recently discovered patent.

The patent is for a foldable with three displays and two hinges that can be locked with a slider. It is believed the patent was filed in China in 2020 and published in July 2021. It's now available in the World Intellectual Property Office global database, as first reported by LetsGoDigital.

To get a better idea of what a OnePlus tri-fold smartphone might look like if and when it does launch, Parvez Khan, aka Technizo Concept, made a series of renders reportedly based on the patent images. As you can see, the device can be folded in different ways for different uses cases.

It can lay flat as a large tablet, for instance. In its most compact form, the device is like a regular phone.

It's thought OnePlus might introduce its first foldable phone in 2022. But OnePlus hasn't yet confirmed it is making such a device - let alone one that has three displays. Keep in mind its competition, including Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi, have all introduced foldables over the past few years, and they are considered front runners in foldable display technology. So, OnePlus does have some catching up to do in this space.

Earlier this summer, OnePlus hinted it was about to announce a foldable phone. But that turned out to be a prank. It was just trolling Samsung.