Released in China, The Royole FlexPai is the first foldable phone. Believed to mark the beginning of a new wave of foldable devices on the market, rumours suggest manufacturing giants Huawei, Samsung, Motorola and Oppo will be bringing you foldable smartphones. Early adopters will be looking at hefty price tags, with the FlexPai available at around £1,000. So, why fold? Folding devices will enable you to take advantage of the big-screen benefits delivered by tablets, whilst simultaneously providing you with the convenience of a smartphone. With complaints of performance laggs, the FlexPai has a lot of room for improvement, however, this new device represents the beginning of unorthodox territory for the smartphone industry. It’s hoped that the next devices to be released will combine this innovative style with optimum performance and currently, the bets are on Samsung.
Back in 2011, Samsung’s prototype was able to remain intact after a whopping 100,000 folds with only a 6% drop in brightness at centre (where all the folding happened), however various manufacturing issues prevented the real deal. Despite missing the title of the first company to release a foldable phone, the South Korean multinational giant could be releasing its foldable device (Prototype below) alongside the Galaxy S10 at the Mobile World Congress this February 2019. In contrast to Royole that uses a single screen, Samsung’s prototype features two screens – a larger screen that folds inward, as if to imitate a book, while the smaller screen takes the place of the book’s cover. This means the larger display will be protected when closed, while the smaller display imitates the traditional smartphone. Leaks suggest the new Samsung device will appear in black, silver, blue and green colours.
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While the foldable smartphone may remain a somewhat desirable novelty until it becomes more widely available – and affordable, it cannot be denied that flexible technology is a risk that’s paying off. LG’s roll-able television is a prime example of innovation at its finest – providing users with a minimalist finish to their home or the option to remove distractions at dinner. This sleek, roll-able TV, termed by LG as ‘revolutionary’ is not only easy on the eye but provides 4K viewing – for those unfamiliar, this means you’ll be able to watch your favourite films and shows in four times the resolution of Full HD.
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