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It seems like TCL is working on a foldable smartphone which will double as a smartwatch. If that sounds odd to you, well, we understand why, but you’ll basically be able to fond it into becoming a futuristic bracelet aka smartwatch.
This information comes from CNET, as the owner of both BlackBerry and Alcatel brands is getting ready to announce something rather odd in the future. In fact, TCL is working on at least five devices which sport flexible displays, two of which are tablets, claims the source. CNET also notes that out of those five devices, two are smartphones, and the last one is the aforementioned handset which will fold into a smartwatch. The source says that this info is based on renders and patent image filing that it obtained.
One of the two tablets has a display that folds inward, like a clamshell, claims the source. The other one, however, has a display on the outside, much like the Royole Flexpai foldable smartphone which was announced at the end of last year. As far as smartphones are concerned, they seem to sport a more common foldable design, as they will fold on the inside and outside, while they will bend “at the horizontal line”, says CNET. The last device, which will be able to become a smartwatch, you can check out in the provided image, it seems like the phone will be quite tall.
CNET notes that the provided info and image are preliminary, which essentially means that nothing is set in stone just yet, as TCL may drop any of the aforementioned projects. Chances are, though, that we will see at least one or two in the market.
Do not expect any of these devices to become available in the near future, though, as a TCL executive said last month that the company plans to release its first foldable device in 2020, not in 2019, so we’re still far away from any of these devices becoming a reality.
Foldable Phones In 2019
TCL may not be ready to release a foldable smartphone anytime soon, but there are quite a few smartphone manufacturers that are, it seems. Huawei is planning to announce its foldable handset at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) which will start in a week in Barcelona. Huawei had already confirmed that the device is coming, and while other companies are also working on foldable smartphones, we’re still not sure when the rest will arrive.
Both Samsung and Xiaomi had already shown off their demo foldable smartphones, giving us a good idea as to what to expect, but we do not know when will the two companies introduce their phones, even though they’re expected to do so in the first half of the year.
OPPO confirmed that it is working on a foldable smartphone as well, and that it will probably arrive in H1 2019, while Motorola is working on reviving its Razr brand in a foldable smartphone form. Motorola’s design patent gave us an idea as to what the phone may look like, but it’s still unclear when the foldable Motorola Razr become a reality. A number of other companies are working on foldable devices as well, though chances are that most of them will arrive in the second half of this year.
