TCL develops a hybrid foldable phone
TCL is developing a foldable and foldable hybrid phone that brings together two of the biggest trends in smartphone design of the moment.
The company, which makes its own screens and started pushing its own brand of Android devices in early 2020, has been developing flexible, foldable OLED screens for some time, despite the new conceptual device that brings the two screens together.
And nearly twelve months ago, TCL revealed some of the prototype designs that were developing it.
This included a dual-fold tablet that had two hinges that transformed from a phone to a relatively large tablet, as well as a sliding device with a folding screen from the side.
TCL said at the time: The concept designs were experiments of shape and screen technology, and company executives confirmed that they were also just a sample from a group they were working on.
During CES 2021, the company unveiled a version of the rollable design, along with a larger tablet-sized version that turns into something akin to a small TV.
And now graphics have appeared for a new version developed by TCL, where the device - which will be officially unveiled in April - combines a foldable screen and a rollable screen.
The device uses a foldable screen and TCL's DragonHinge, a multi-gear hinge that the Chinese company believes enables it to build a variety of foldable devices.
After expanding the device, users can pull out an internal screen to expand the device further, and turn a small smartphone into a large tablet device.
As a result, the device is likely to offer a large tablet experience without the thick form of the company's previous dual-fold prototype.
There is no indication whether TCL intends to put this design into production anytime soon, or whether it is being seen as another opportunity to showcase the company's screen manufacturing technology.
It is also said: These phones and details of their availability, in particular, may appear in the public eye at a TCL event rumored to be held in April 2021.
The appeal of foldable devices is the ability to convert a relatively small device into a larger one, and rollable screens can increase the appeal even further.