Even though most of the world appears to be fine with separating their phones from their tablets, manufacturers are continuing to see how they can roll the different concepts into one. Over the years, we’ve seen brands try different things like the folding phone from Samsung and Huawei or a more unique rolling approaching from LG and Samsung.
TCL has decided to merge both those ideas in its new foldable phone concept, called a Fold ‘n Roll that takes both of those approaches and combines them into the company’s “dragonhinge” technology, which was previously leaked, with an extendable display panel. The prototype will see a 6.87-inch phone that can expand to an 8.85-inch phablet size when unfolded or fully extend to a 10-inch tablet when rolled out even further.
It’s an interesting idea from the company that will see a device offer three different screen sizes based on people’s needs. The technology still has a long way to go, with the company mentioning to The Verge that it’s “still exploring the technical specifications”. There is a chance that things could still change as they see certain approaches don’t quite work as well as they hoped over long-term testing and decided exactly how they’re going to spec the thing to allow it to take advantage of the different screen sizes and functionality it would likely offer.
It may just be a concept for now, but the working prototype does look quite nice and far more usable than the current folding phones we are seeing. The big challenge TCL needs to solve to really make this device a game-changer in the space though is that of affordability because that is one area where these hybrid phone/tablets have not been great in.
Last Updated: April 16, 2021
