From time to time, mobile electronics manufacturers try to reinvent the wheel by equipping their devices with two screens. We bring to your attention a small selection of such devices, starting with the very first experiments and ending with modern commercial devices.
Samsung Continuum
A peculiar representative of the Galaxy S line was released at the end of 2010 and had two screens: the main 3.4 ″ and an additional 1.8 ″, both made using Super Amoled technology. The secondary screen displayed various notifications and was separated from the main one by navigation keys. On the one hand, such a display provided quicker access to information, on the other hand, it did not facilitate convenient text input and was not available for third-party applications. A controversial, in my opinion, solution, both visually and functionally, the usual dock bar for applications or the notification panel, which can be hidden at any time, copes much better with such tasks.
Motorola Wilder
An unpretentious feature-phone from Motorola entered the market in the summer of 2011 and had, in addition to the main TFT-display with a diagonal of 2.8 ″ and a resolution of 240×320 pixels, an additional OLED – a display with a diagonal of a little less than an inch, which displayed battery percentage, signal strength, and notifications. More than a modest implementation, however, such a screen could well cope with its task without interfering with the use of the main functions of the phone.
LG DoublePlay
The first and, admittedly, not entirely successful attempt LG to realize the use of two screens in a smartphone was a horizontal slider with an additional two-inch screen built into the keyboard unit of the device, dividing the keys into two groups. This screen allowed you to quickly switch between applications and respond to messages. The problem was the size, the display was too small to be fully used. To top it all off , the device could not boast of a long battery life. The first pancake is lumpy, LG.
Kyocera Echo
A smartphone with a claim to a tablet provided the user with two identical screens (3.5 inches / resolution 480×800 pixels), which could be used separately, for example, one for entering text, the second for viewing pages in a browser, or together, getting one display with diagonal 4.7 ″. The original design and the awarded title of the smallest tablet in the world did not contribute to the usability of the device, the joint of the screens was not perfect, the screens were not perceived as a single whole in any case. An excellent idea, however, too bold, plus the implementation disappoints.
Sony Tablet P
In 2012, Sony responded to its Japanese competitor by releasing a tablet with two 5.5-inch screens and an unusual resolution of 1024×480 pixels each. The gap between the screens was much smaller, the whole idea of the Echo was refined and it turned out to be a more interesting version for geeks. Nevertheless, the general mass of users was not imbued with a similar concept of interaction with the device and the Sony Tablet P did not succeed in “taking off”, as well as in similar devices (for example, Medias W N-O5e).
Samsung DoubleTime
In this smartphone, the implementation of two screens was quite successful in terms of user experience, however, its implementation from the standpoint of design could not please the supporters of elegant gadgets. The smartphone was not distinguished by lightness and 'slenderness', and the relatively outdated version Android at the time of entering the market did not add any advantages to the device.
YotaPhone
In 2013, the Russian manufacturer Yota proudly presented to the world the first of its kind based device Android, using an auxiliary energy-saving E-Ink display on the back of the device. The design of the smartphone has intrigued many. Was the device able to get rid of the curse of the 'two screens'? Unfortunately not. Due to some troubles with the second screen and design, YotaPhone, despite the idea that is interesting and potentially applicable in everyday work with the gadget, is perceived as a nice and at the same time very peculiar device. The same fate has not escaped the updated, but also unconvincing YotaPhone 2.
Samsung Galaxy Edge line
In 2014-2015, Samsung single-handedly managed to prove the relevance of dual screens. The first step along this path was the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, an experiment by the company with a screen that was rounded on one side, on which highlighted shortcuts were located. This was followed by the S6 Edge, a version of the flagship S6 with two rounded edges, followed by the S6 Edge + with a display enlarged to 5.7 inches. The displays on the edges of these devices may well be called independent, this aspect is confirmed by specially developed 'chips' for these.
LG V10
More recently LG they tried again to release a standing device with two screens and this time everything looks promising: a small 1.6-inch display is neatly inscribed above the main QHD display and displays information about incoming notifications, highlighted shortcuts, reminders etc. Two screens, two front cameras, double effort – wish LG good luck.
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Elir: I believe that the best implementation of the concept of two screens is obtained in clamshell phones, I think many will agree with me: there is no need to compromise for the sake of design, there is no need to think long about the placement of an additional screen, and user interaction with it has already been honed for generations successful 'clamshells'. Nevertheless, experiments with other form factors remain relevant, and some of them are already enjoying commercial success. What gadgets with two screens do you remember?