By Andy Meek, BGR
Some of the big tech companies leading the way when it comes to foldable phones aren’t exactly flexing their creative muscles when it comes to choosing a name for their novel handsets.
Ok, granted, there are probably only so many naming conventions that accurately convey what you as a consumer are getting when you buy a phone with a bendable screen. Nevertheless, possible names for the first foldable handsets coming out of LG, Huawei, and Samsung have all started to leak out. None of those companies has made a firm decision yet, but it’s interesting that they’re all considering similar names for their devices. Like, really similar.
The common denominator across all three is Flex — “Flex,” in other words, being one of several possible names that LG, Huawei, and Samsung are all reportedly weighing. According to LetsGoDigital, LG has filed several trademarks with the European Union Intellectual Property Office that show it’s considering Flex, Foldi, and Duplex as possible names for its foldable handset.
Per Phone Arena: “All three are filed under the category ‘Smartphones; Mobile Phones,’ which removes any assumptions that LG might use one of those names for its flexible displays. It’s expected that LG will manufacture the displays for other brands that want to release a foldable phone, since the required technology is far too expensive for every phone maker to develop on its own.
“But let’s get back to the names. The first two, Flex and Foldi, are pretty straightforward and in sync with Samsung’s Galaxy F and Huawei’s Flexi/Flex trademarks. Duplex, on the other hand, is an interesting choice by LG, especially considering that Google is using the word for its AI call-making feature that just started rolling out to users.”
As we reported earlier this week, Samsung particularly likes Flex, and seems to be leaning toward “Samsung Flex” and “Galaxy Flex,” based on a variety of reports, for the name of its first foldable phone. Huawei, meanwhile, is reportedly considering four names for its first foldable. Based on some IP documents reviewed by AndroidHeadlines, the Chinese manufacturer is reportedly considering the names Mate F, Mate Flex, Mate Flexi and Mate Fold.
Flex, at least so far, certainly appears to be the most popular contender for the name of a device that will rank as one of the more interesting releases of 2019.