Yesterday, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer TCL unveiled a concept phone that features two different ways to extend the display. For now, the company is calling it the ‘Fold ‘n Roll’ since it employs both, a folding hinge as well as the rolling display tech similar to what LG had advertised.
According to the details revealed by the company, the Fold ‘n Roll has an outward folding mechanism, which means the screen will remain on the outside and there will be no secondary display.
In its folded form, the phone measures 6.87-inches diagonally, when unfolded, the display size increases to 8.85-inches, making it the largest foldable screen. If that is not enough for you, with the rollable mechanism the screen can extend to 10-inches. This also changes the phone’s aspect ratio, which makes it better suited for multimedia than the typical squarish foldable.
The company has reportedly combined next-gen hinges and mechanics to support both actions. The display used in the phone has been acquired by TCL’s parent company CSOT, a large display maker from China that covers everything from small phone screens to large TV screens.
For now, the concept phone uses plastic but the company has reached out to partners to try and figure out a way to use glass to make the screen more durable since its outward position makes it more vulnerable.
As far as the availability of the phone is concerned, TCL says that it will take a long time before 3-in-1 devices like the Fold ‘n Roll arrive in stores.
