TCL is working on a lot of products. The company recently announced three new additions to the TCL 20 Series. Next in line is probably a foldable phone. Based on the information and images we gathered, the device will be flexible. The concept is called the TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll. It can be assumed it will both be foldable and rollable at the same time. TCL already has an advantage because it has the hinge design technology and it has a CSOT flexible OLED panel business.
The TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll is a smartphone that can transform into a 10-inch tablet. It appears ambitious as TCL doesn’t really have a foldable phone out in the market yet. There is the TCL rollable foldable phone tablet with a double-folding design we saw last week. We know more designs will still be introduced this year.
This new TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll combines the foldable and rollable designs. It comes with a DragonHinge mechanism that transforms a 6.87-inch phone into a mini-tablet with a slightly bigger display of 8.85-inches. It can further unroll to become a bigger 10-inch panel.
The flexible OLED screen has a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. There are primary cameras on the rear like a regular phone.
The TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll is thicker compared to a standard phone like about 1.5 times. TCL executive Stefan Streit said: “Flexible Displays – including foldable and rollable displays – are the future of the mobile industry.” He added, “We need to be realistic that some of these multi-use form factors like this 3-in-1 concept will take time to mature.”
Concepts are complex so it may take a while before they are ready for commercial release. There are several concerns like the possible damage on the external display. Software that will work is also a question. It can run on Android but the form factor is new.
TCL has confirmed it will announce a flexible device before the year ends. It will be the first from the company and they are actually on track. It’s just not clear what the the design and form factor will be. It could be a clamshell as commerciality is important.
It will be expensive definitely but still “affordable” commercially. By that, we mean, same price point as the Samsung Galaxy S20/S21 Ultra . If the first TCL foldable or rollable device is successful, then another one may be introduced.
TCL’s CSOT business has also started exploring new designs and applications for the flexible AMOLED. Any project may be used by TCL in the future. Hopefully, the panels made by CSOT will also be used in other in industries like automotive and other smart home devices.
TCL has no intention to become the first. It acknowledges that it can’t compared to bigger brands like Samsung or Huawei. Interestingly, TCL has a name in the TV panel manufacturing business being the second biggest in the world.