This smartphone can be folded three times! TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology aka TCL CSOT has unveiled the world's first functional tri-foldable phone at the Society for Information Display 2024 (SID 2024) exhibition. The company finally took it public in 2019, five years after showing off a non-working prototype of a similar design. Let's take a closer look at this new foldable handset.
TCL CSOT Brand Tri-Foldable Phone Revealed
TCL CSOT's brand new form factor foldable phone uses a “free-type” tri-foldable display, measuring 7.85 inches and offering a tablet-like experience when fully unfolded. When open the panel has a typical tablet aspect ratio and supports an innovative folding mechanism that allows for both “G” and “Z” shaped configurations.
Previous versions of the tri-foldable phone have run into problems for being too bulky. But TCL seems to have addressed this concern, with their model believed to be only 427 microns thick. The phone features a Sensor Under Panel (SUP) design, which enables three-dimensional (3D) face recognition via a sensor located below the display, which is used for mobile payments and device unlocking. Notably both the regular display area and the SUP area maintain a consistent pixel density of 420 ppi for a uniform visual experience.
The panel of the new tri-foldable phone from TCL brand also includes advanced technologies such as LTPO technology, which allows the device to adjust the refresh rate between 1 Hz and 120 Hz and consumes less power. Durability is another important aspect of this phone. TCL claims that the display is built to last. TCL brand's plans for commercialization of this tri-foldable phone are still unclear. It is worth noting that tech companies like Huawei are rumored to be working on a similar device. Speculation is rife that Huawei may launch a tri-fold phone with a 10-inch display later this year.
