A
little-known California-based company has laid claim to creating the
"world's first foldable phone".
Royole
Corporation - a specialist in manufacturing flexible displays - unveiled the
FlexPai handset at an event in Beijing.
When opened,
the device presents a single display measuring 7.8in (19.8cm) - bigger than
many tablets.
But when
folded up, it presents three separate smaller screens - on the front, rear and
spine of the device.
The
six-year-old company said it would hold three "flash sales" to consumers
in China on 1 November to offer the first product run.
The phones
will be priced between 8,999 and 12,999 yuan ($1,290 to $1,863; £1,011 to
£1,460) depending on the memory and storage specifications selected.
In addition,
Royole said it would also offer a slightly different version of the devices to
developers across the world the same day.
It intends
to start deliveries in "late December".
The launch
has caught many industry watchers by surprise.
It was
widely believed Samsung or Huawei would be the first to sell such a device to
the public.
Samsung was
expected to preview its efforts at an event in San Francisco on 7 November, but
is not understood to be ready to put a product on sale.
Venturebeat
reporter Evan Blass has also claimed LG intends to unveil a foldable phone of
its own at the CES trade show in January.
Videos
posted to social media of the FlexPai in action, however, indicate the version
of Android they run still needs some work.
In
particular, the display is shown to flick between different orientations after
being switched from one mode to another before settling.
Purchasers
will also need to be mindful that the device weighs 320g - more than 50% more
than the iPhone XS Max or Galaxy Note 9.
However,
Royole says the FlexPai has been tested to withstand more than 200,000
open-and-shut movements, meaning it should offer many years of use before the
action damages the picture.
One expert
said the smartphone was unlikely to become a bestseller but was impressive
nonetheless.
"Royole
gets the bragging rights to being first, and it's quite astonishing that
someone you've never heard of is doing this," said Carolina Milanesi, from
the Creative Strategies consultancy.
"What's
great is that it's putting this into the hands of developers, who will be able
to start the legwork that will result in apps for flexible devices that will
eventually be sold by Samsung and whoever else.
"You
need developers to think through how they can best take advantage of screens
that double in size."
She added
that Royole might ultimately become an acquisition target for one of the
mainstream consumer electronics brands.
Another
company-watcher added that he doubted the FlexPai would ever be produced in
large numbers.
"Royole
has carried out several publicity stunts over the years to showcase its
flexible OLED [organic light-emitting diode] displays," said Dr Guillaume
Chansin from Irimitech Consulting.
"The
FlexPai is probably another stunt.
"Royole
is building its first OLED factory and it is now trying to compete directly
with other display manufacturers such as Samsung and LG."
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