We Tried TCL's New Foldable and Rollable Phone Concepts
Phones
Speaker 1: TCL is showing off two new foldable phone concepts ahead of mobile world Congress. And we had the chance to check them out. One has a screen that can bend both ways. And the other has a display that can fold and roll. TCL is calling this one, the 60 degree ultra flex. It's kind of like the Samsung galaxy Z fold three, except it can bend in the other direction two. And this [00:00:30] one is called the fold and roll as its name implies. The main screen can fold in half, but it can also extended screen from its edge.
Speaker 1: Both devices are in the prototype stage and are just concepts. That means they won't be sold to customers, but are instead meant to show TCLs line of thinking. When it comes to foldable devices, since their concepts, they weren't fully functional during our demo, but they were far along enough to give us an idea of how these devices would work. If they were real products. First [00:01:00] up is the 360 agree ultra flex, which TCL is showing for the first time its hinge allows it to open up like a book, but also bend backwards. The device opens up to reveal a tablet size display, similar to the galaxy Z fold three,
Speaker 1: But to use it like a regular phone, you would need to bend the device all the way back since no screen on the outside. That reminds me of the Microsoft surface duo, which also doesn't have a front screen. In the short time [00:01:30] I've spent with it. The hinge stood out as being one of the most striking aspects of the device. It feels pretty durable and was really easy to bend and twist in both directions. But the Ultraflex didn't fold by completely during my time with it. And the screen also wasn't functional when I used it. But again, this is just a prototype, which means it's not a real product. Next is the fold and roll, which TCL has only shown in China so far at first plants, it looks similar to the 360 degree ultra [00:02:00] flex concept, but what really makes the fold roll stand out is its ability to extend its screen from one of its edges, just press a button.
Speaker 1: And the screen will begin to extend from one side of the device. We only got this to work once during our demo, but again, this is just a prototype when unfolded and fully extended, the screen can reach 8.8 inches in size, making it larger than an iPad. What's also interesting about this concept is that the screen wraps around the edge of the device. But [00:02:30] again, neither of these devices are real products yet, and TCL is still figuring out how it wants to approach the foldable phone space. The company couldn't give a timeline for when it actually expects to sell a foldable phone, but when it does, it wants to keep the price at $700 or less. That would be a big deal because most foldable phones cost significantly more than regular smartphones. Samsung's galaxy Z fold three starts at $1,800 while the Z flip three starts at $1,000.
Speaker 1: And so does [00:03:00] the Motorola razor. And if you want Microsoft surface duo two, you'll have to spend at least $1,500. TCL has been showing concept devices for years without actually bringing a foldable phone to the market. So it's unclear if you'll ever actually be able to buy anything that we've seen today. TCL opposed to release a foldable flip phone called project Chicago last year, but ended up scrapping the device. It was TCLs most polished attempt at a foldable phone yet, but aside from the foldable phones that are already out [00:03:30] for sale, TCL is also facing competition from other concept devices. For example, L G teased a rollable phone at CES 2021, aside from being too expensive. There's another obstacle that's preventing foldable phones from being really popular. Most people simply don't feel like they need them yet. Having a bigger screen is a nice bonus, but foldable phones like the galaxy Z fold three can still feel awkward to use as a regular phone until companies figure that out. Fold phones will [00:04:00] probably still be a tough sell for many people. So what did you think of TCLs new concepts? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to check out the links in the description for more foldable phone coverage. Thanks for watching. And I'll see you next time.
