A few months ago, a TCL foldable phone prototype was shown off in a hands-on video. It surfaced once again as a phone prototype that could cure our Galaxy Fold frustration. TCL then showed off its 2020 lineup that includes a 5G phone and a foldable device. A 5G smartphone may be easy to achieve but not the foldable phone. Sure, there are foldable devices available in the market but every model has major issues. Just look at the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, and the Motorola RAZR.
To be honest, we can’t really say yet that foldable phones are worth their high price tags. It is always good to dream and imagine a perfect foldable phone. The hands-on features and teardown treatments somehow tell us how a foldable phone is designed and how components are laid out inside.
TCL wants to join the game by showing off its newest mobile innovations that are expected to make a difference in the foldable phone category. Note that the features and design are only concepts–meaning, they may become a reality or not. We’re not saying things are impossible but perfecting the technologies may be difficult.
The photos you see here are prototypes of a phone concept that features a rollable extendable display. As if a one-fold flexible screen is already a challenge to make, here’s TCL coming up with a tri-fold tablet. So it’s not really another foldable phone but a foldable tablet.
A similar design was shown off in a hands-on video last year. It was only a prototype but it was good enough. TCL has an advantage because it has a display manufacturing business.
TCL Communication’s Global Product Center General Manager Shane Lee shared, “With these latest concept devices, TCL has clearly shown that there is still plenty of room for new ideas when it comes to flexible and foldable display technologies, and it’s critical for us to think outside the box and lead with innovation.” He added, “These new form factors leverage display and hinge technologies that already exist entirely within our fully integrated TCL ecosystem, allowing us to reimagine the future of mobile device development with an aggressive research and development program.”
Apart from the tri-fold concept, TCL has also identified other ways to make use of the flexible AMOLED display tech. A rollable, extendable phone concept has been presented and it looks promising. The idea is a 6.75-inch screen extending to a larger 7.8-inch screen.
This flexible-foldable-extendable display offers a multi-tasking UI and a split-screen experience. This may only be a concept but expect no creases and no wrinkles. No information on availability and pricing yet as everything is a concept for now.
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