We’ve heard multiple names thrown around when it comes to foldable phones and tablets. Oppo, LG, Samsung, Huawei come to mind and lately also Apple. Now TCL also joins them and we actually have multiple details about their project, courtesy of CNET.
The 5 devices you see above are supposed to be modelled after real patents and projects from TCL. This is no average company, as they hold the rights to the brands Alcatel and BlackBerry, so they’re pretty important. We see a smartwatch or bracelet that curves around your wrist and when need be, it expands and turns into an actual phone.
Then we have two phones that fold down the middle and propose a vertical format, some sort of combo between the Moto RAZR 2019 concepts and maybe LG’s patented formats. The “tablet” versions have the display folded inward and outward and it feels a tablet that got a foldable hinge in the middle. Lenovo already unveiled back in 2016 a bracelet that’s able to clasp around your wrist and then be removed and turned into a phone.
I’m not sure TCL has the clout, money and partners to pull off such an ambitious project. The Chinese company is more known for budget TVs and guess what, they’ll also bring flexibility and foldability to TV sets. They’re targetting 2020 for the release of the products and want to bring flexibility to appliances, wearables, TVs and more. At least one device is said to look like a Surface Book.
