Leaked photos reveal TCL is making a phone with a second screen that can be pulled out to form a tablet
- The unnamed device has a second retractable screen
- It was to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress before the event’s cancellation
- The phone presents a unique alternative to faulty folding phones
Recent foibles with new display technology and form factors aren’t preventing companies from dreaming up their own contributions to the growing world of alternative phone designs.
Leaked photos published by CNET show a device reportedly in development by TCL, a Chinese technology company, that has two screens, one of which slides out from one side of the phone to expand it into a tablet.
While the details of the second screen are sparse, sources cited by CNET suggest the screen will be ‘continuous’ and will be pulled out by users in a manner similar to sliding open a dining room table to install a leaf.
While the details are sparse on TCL’s unnamed device, leaked images show that it has a second screen that can be retracted or extended at will
Part of what makes the unnamed device eye-catching is the fact that, unlike a current crop of phones with innovative displays, it doesn’t fold over itself to create a crease – a form factor that has caused some pretty serious hardware flaws.
Both the recently released Motorola Razr and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip have experienced issues with their displays warping and cracking just a couple weeks into their release.
There are no details on dimensions and how the phone will stack up next to folding competitors like Huawei’s Mate X which is 8 inches when unfolded.
CNET reports that the device was supposed to have been unveiled at Mobile World Congress, one of the world’s biggest mobile phone showcases in Barcelona that was cancelled due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
In addition to a new line of more traditionally-designed phones, TCL is also working on other foldalbe devices including a phone with multiple hinges that bend into a ‘Z’ shape and extend into a 10-inch display when fully opened.
Chinese tech giant TCL was reported to be developing a flexible phone that can bend around your wrist to become a pseudo-smartwatch
When collapsed the phone folds onto itself to configure the device into a book-like shape with one, slimmer, outward facing display.
Earlier this year, the company was rumored to have at least five folding devices in the works, including two tablets, two smartphones, and a type of wearable that swivels around one’s wrist.
Those concepts were portrayed in several renderings obtained by CNET earlier this year.