A foldable mobile phone in the works that also turns into a smartwatch!

February 19, 2019

We still haven't had a good look at the foldable devices, we already have plans for more spectacular models...

The Chinese company TCL, which specialises in televisions, but also smartphones, through BlackBerry and Alcatel, is working on at least five devices with foldable screens. Two smartphones, two tablets and a mobile phone that can also become a smartwatch.

Each of these devices folds differently, with one of the tablets folding internally and the other externally. The mobiles both fold horizontally, respectively one on the inside and the other on the outside, while the latter device is thin and tall, and folds like a watch around the wrist.

Note that none of the above has the same design as Samsung's foldable phone.

Of course, we're still talking about plans under study, none of this is finalized, and the company could change, or even completely throw out all of the above. Nevertheless, a company executive had stated last month that TCL is set to release its first foldable device in 2020, without making clear the exact type of device he was referring to.

Also, the company's general manager of marketing, Stefan Streit, said in an interview that it's not only smartphones that can benefit from the foldable technology, adding that we could see the same in TVs, smart home items, and other accessories or gadgets in general.

It should be noted that most companies have started to move into the foldable devices space, with Google promising to provide support for the operating system (Android) part of these devices, Apple already having plans for foldable phones, and Samsung presenting its own plans next week at the official launch of the Galaxy S10.

At the moment, Royole's FlexPai is already on the market, costing around $1300 for the 6GB RAM/128GB version, which closes like a book, with its screen located on the outer part of the device. It's only a matter of time now until we see the other companies' offerings as well...