While flexible, read:curved display smartphones are pretty cool, as we found out in our LG G Flex review, we are yet to find other hardware parts to compliment the flexible tech. LG introduced flexible batteries and used it on the LG G Flex and now, Nokia has been awarded a patent for a flexible battery tech.
Nokia has a vast patent portfolio and this is another addition to it, which Microsoft will probably use in the future. I remember Nokia demoed its flexible displays at Nokia World 2012, so Nokia already has the flexible display tech and now, they have a patented flexible display tech. Nokia’s patent suggests a battery which can be flexed and twisted. Check out the literature in the patent description:
In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a single battery ribbon (14) and vacuum packaging. The single battery ribbon includes a first portion (22), a second portion (22), and an interconnecting portion (15) between the first portion (22) and the second portion (22). The first portion (22), the second portion (22), and the interconnecting portion (15) form a continuous single layer including an anode (16) and a cathode (20). The vacuum packaging surrounds the single battery ribbon (14). The vacuum packaging includes a middle connecting portion configured to contact a first side of the interconnecting portion (15) and a second opposite side of the interconnecting portion (15).
We won’t see any flexible smartphone from Nokia in the near future but we could see them sometime in the future with Microsoft. It is great to see big companies other than Samsung and LG trying out their hand at flexible tech.
