TCL ‘may' become the biggest rival for Samsung in foldable space

TCL, the Chinese manufacturer of budget television sets and mobile phones, is getting in on the “foldable devices” game. “TCL is working on at least five devices employing flexible displays, including two tablets, two smartphones and a flexible phone that could curve into a smartwatch,” – according to the company’s renderings and patent image filings.

The two tablets fold inwards with one’s display on the inside and the other on the outside. The smartphones, also, has two variants that fold just like the tablets, except that it bends at the horizontal line, like the traditional flip phones. Most unique of all is the last phone, which is a tall and skinny device that can curve into a cuff around a wrist – like a smartwatch.

Foldable devices are all the rage. It is a new way of interacting with electronics. Many Android phone makers – with Google’s Android support for foldable designs – are experimenting on foldable devices.  We’ll be seeing a fair bit more of these innovations at the Mobile World Congress happening later this month. In addition to it, Samsung’s upcoming event is also expected to host the most-awaited Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphone. However, that said, Royale FlexPai is the only foldable device that has actually come to the market and is doing a pretty decent job.

The preliminary images and leaked plans of TCL very well support its claim it made last month to release its first foldable device in 2020. However, there are a lot of other things that are unclear at the moment, like, if TCL will stick to the revealed plan, and if yes, when will the devices hit the market, and so on.