TCL’s new foldable and rollable concepts first look By Engadget

It should come as no surprise that we're going to see a lot more affordable devices in 2020 I mean we've already seen the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. We saw the Motorola Razr, maybe flop, and now TCL is about to be unveiled two new foldable concept devices. We've got the extendable rollable display concept, as well as the trifold foldable prototype. To be clear. These are again concept devices prototypes. That ECL hasn't announced that they're going to launch at anytime soon, but they're a good glimpse of what is in the pipeline.

What TCL is experimenting on and what the company is actually capable of achieving the extendable role of a whole display prototype that we saw at our briefing in New, York wasn't actually working was more like a plastic wallpaper on a 3d printed is prototype, the actual working unit was stuck in China. Unfortunately, so we didn't get to do a lot of hands-on with that. We did, however, get to try out the trifold prototype for the first time we've seen this before it was under glass at CES. It was not allowed to be touched this time around I got to play with it. Use demo software play a video and, as it is a prototype I'll be very honest.

I think felt kind of Jacky I felt like it was going to break at any point, but it does show the head. TCL is working on this one screen 1/10-inch screen that can fold twice and become a six point. Six five inch phone as a phone, it felt very thick I mean this is basically three phones, it's squished into one, and you can open it up to run three apps side by side or have a full screen photo on the left, two-thirds and use the right side to kind of edit brightness and contrast and other levels like that. There's a lot of potential for something like this to be a very powerful multitasking device. You can even fold it and have it standing on the table or lay it like.

You would a laptop and have the bottom third of the screen be a digital keyboard that you can type out a quick document on and then flip it back up again and use it like a phone when you're using it as a phone. That's six point: six five-inch screen runs at a twenty point, eight by 9 aspect ratio, which is almost the same as what the Galaxy Z Flip runs. Add the rest of the specs are scarce. This is a prototype, so TCL isn't going to commit to any specific dimensions or any specific processor they're. Just not going to tell us all of that just yet.

It really is just to kind of. Let people know hey we're working on this and for developers to get excited about these form factors and start creating software. That better makes use of these screens. TCL hasn't committed to a time frame yet as to when it's going to launch its first foldable, but because TCL is Diana's usual mo is to make things that are a lot more affordable than the competition. We can expect the company's first foldable device to be a lot cheaper than say the galaxy phone.

Although the extendable, rollable folding prototype, wasn't a fully working unit, we did get to play a little with mechanics of it. Now how this works is. There is a screen that rolls over the side and kind of slots into the underneath of the phone, so when you pull it out, it's basically rolling over the rest of the phone, and it slides from a six point. Seven five inch phone to an 8-inch tablet. Now, while the unit we saw wasn't actually working it TCL did say it is going to be the same thinness.

So it gave me a very good sense of what it felt like to hold something like this. In my hand, it's also fascinating me to see how the technology will work with the real extendable foldable phone. You wouldn't be allowed to kind of pull it apart. Yourself, TCL said that there will be an onscreen trigger that you would have to tap to activate the rolling mechanism. This is meant to prevent damage, and, of course, since we haven't seen it, we still don't know how or whether it will work just like the trifold prototype.

We have no idea if or when this is ever going to be released. It does seem a little more likely, though, because LG already made a rollable TV. It stands to reason that TCL is close on making something like that work, while it's nice and somewhat exciting, to get a glimpse at these upcoming novel front factors. You know what TCL has been teasing us for a long time, and it's almost like come on launch something already, but TCL's whole point is that it's waiting not only for components and stuff to get cheaper so that they can make a more affordable device and figure out what users actually want. It's also waiting for the software to catch up.

I get those points, and you know what it makes more sense than trying to launch something super expensive. That's mostly experimental hit the galaxy fold, so I'll understand if TCL needs a little more time. However, that does mean I will have a lot higher expectations for TCL when it does launch this device. So the company better step up for our reviews of folding phones, regular phones, laptops and wearables make sure you subscribe to and gadget.

Source : Engadget