Mobility

Photos: New devices leading the foldable smartphone revolution

By // March 7, 2019, 1:25 PM PST // bviglia

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  • ​2019: The year of the folding smartphone

    If early indications are anything to go on, 2019 is going to be the year a new form factor finally enters the smartphone market: Foldable smartphones. These types of devices have been rumored for quite some time, and now we're finally seeing their entry en masse into the market.

    A couple of big players--Samsung and Huawei--plan to release folding screen devices later in 2019, but they aren't alone. Several of the devices in this gallery are coming in 2019 and 2020, and several others are rumored to be on the way--one foldable phone is already available.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: CNET

  • ​Samsung Galaxy Fold

    Samsung was the first company to make waves with its folding smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. Scheduled for release in April 2019, the Galaxy Fold has two screens: One that folds into the inside of the device like a book, and a second smaller screen on the outside that's used when the device is closed.

    Rumors are swirling that Samsung is planning two additional folding smartphones to compete with other models slated for release in 2019. One of the devices will fold out vertically, like Motorola's planned folding smartphone, and the other will have an outward folding screen like Huawei's Mate X.

    SEE: Samsung Galaxy Fold: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)

    Image: Samsung

  • ​Huawei Mate X

    Chinese tech giant Huawei revealed its folding smartphone, the Mate X, at MWC 2019, only about a week after Samsung started showing off the Galaxy Fold. Similar in specs to the Galaxy Fold, the Mate X has a major difference in its form factor: Its screen folds around the outside of the device, and there's a bump on one side to make it easier to hold while unfolded.

    The Mate X is expected to be released in mid 2019.

    SEE: Huawei Mate X: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)

    Image: Huawei

  • ​Royale FlexPai

    If you want to get your hands on a folding smartphone right now, you only really have one option: The Royale FlexPai. Available to developers who want to spend a minimum of $1,318 USD on a developer kit, the FlexPai folds out similar to the Mate X, though without the camera bar on one edge.

    The FlexPai is being offered more as a prototype device rather than a working model, and CNET's experiments with the device back that assertion up: It's chunky and hard to hold, it's buggy when switching orientations, and it frequently registered unintentional touches when folded in half.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: CNET

  • ​LG V50 ThinQ

    Strictly speaking, the LG V50 ThinQ isn't a dual-screened phone, but it is the next best thing: It's a standard smartphone with a module that adds a second screen. Snapping the V50 into the folio style case adds a second touchscreen, effectively doubling screen real estate for gaming, multitasking, and other functions.

    Bad news for US users: It's not slated for release in the states. LG hasn't released much in the way of pricing or availability for the module, but just because it isn't coming to the US doesn't mean you can't order it from overseas.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: CNET

  • ​TCL's line of folding devices

    TCL, owner of BlackBerry and Alcatel, apparently has five folding devices in the works. Patents have been filed and renderings have been made of two folding tablets (one which folds out and one that folds in), two folding smartphones (one out, one in, both folding vertically), and a phone that folds for wear like a watch.

    TCL told TechRepublic sister site CNET that it plans to release the first of its folding devices in 2020.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: CNET

  • ​Oppo foldable smartphone

    Chinese smartphone company Oppo has shown off photos of its Mate X-like folding smartphone, but the company remains skeptical on the profitability of the devices. Citing the fact that a folding screen brings little improvement in usability, Oppo VP Brian Shen said that the company has no plans to mass produce its folding prototype unless users really want it.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: Brian Shen

  • ​Xiaomi folding smartphone

    Bifold vs. trifold has been a battle in the world of wallets for decades, but not in the smartphone world. Xiaomi might be changing that with its trifold smartphone prototype the company showed off in January 2019.

    Not much is known about the device, but it's yet another form factor consumers can (maybe) choose when, and if, the device is released.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: BBC

  • ​Motorola Razr foldable

    Anyone who had a cell phone in the early 2000s likely had a Motorola Razr. The near ubiquitous Razr form factor was thin, slick, and all the rage when it was released in 2005, and now 14 years later it's making a comeback.

    The device remains unseen outside of patent filings, though it seems the whole of the inside will be a foldable screen. The device is reportedly scheduled for release this summer.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: Motorola

  • ​A foldable iPhone?

    Apple has made absolutely no mention of a foldable iPhone, but a couple of patent filings could reveal what Cupertino may have in store.

    Patent filings from Apple in early 2018 show a foldable/rollable battery, and a February 2019 update to a 2011 patent filing show designs for both a bi- and a tri-fold smartphone.

    As with all patent filings, take this one with a grain of salt--a patent does not a product make.

    SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

    Image: Apple

  • ​Windows Phone reborn?

    As reported by TechRepublic in early 2018, Microsoft filed a patent for a rotating magnetic hinge that locks a folding device in place, both in opened and closed configurations.

    If the patent filing ends up being part of a folding Microsoft smartphone design, it could be a way to avoid the hinge stiffness CNET noticed when handling the Huawei Mate X. The Microsoft design relies on magnets to hold a hinged device opened/closed, which may mean that it moves freely once the magnets are separated.

    Also see

    Image: Microsoft

​2019: The year of the folding smartphone

If early indications are anything to go on, 2019 is going to be the year a new form factor finally enters the smartphone market: Foldable smartphones. These types of devices have been rumored for quite some time, and now we're finally seeing their entry en masse into the market.

A couple of big players--Samsung and Huawei--plan to release folding screen devices later in 2019, but they aren't alone. Several of the devices in this gallery are coming in 2019 and 2020, and several others are rumored to be on the way--one foldable phone is already available.

SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)

Image: CNET

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By Brandon Vigliarolo

Brandon writes about apps and software for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.