CES 2020: TCL might be joining foldable smartphone craze with its new prototype

At CES 2020, TCL showcased more than just its latest TVs as it introduced a new foldable prototype that looks like the Galaxy Fold.

Royole was the first brand to release a foldable smartphone followed by Samsung and then Huawei. Then, Motorola quickly outpaced the rest when it unveiled the nostalgic Razr handset. Despite the reported issues related to the durability of the flexible display, analysts predict that there will be more products that will come out with the tech on board. At CES 2020, TCL is showcasing its own version of a foldable phone, but with an interesting catch. The company is apparently pricing its upcoming handset way lower than its competitors.

Consumers are expected to pay a premium cost for ownership of cutting-edge and emerging tech. For comparison, the Galaxy Fold, Mate X, and Razr are priced aggressively above the $1,000 mark. The numbers are actually prohibitive for regular folk, which means adoption will be slower and manufacturing costs will continue to be expensive. TCL hopes to change that by pricing their foldable device appropriately.

The brand is known for producing modern TVs with all the bells and whistles of a flagship entertainment appliance but at a reasonable price. Thus, it is possible that the TCL foldable might come with an attractive price tag. According to CNet, the working concept prototype on hand at CES 2020 seems promising. There is a total of two folding handset models unveiled by the company: a bifold and trifold version teased last year. When unfolded, the former measures around 7.2 inches, while the latter at roughly 10 inches.

TCL is jumping into the foldable phone game. Nothing final about this yet, but it has four cameras with two being an ultrawide and macro. It unfolds into a 7.2 inch display (no outer display) and has 5G. They're aiming at bringing this tech down to an affordable price point. pic.twitter.com/1rSY3Wq0yn
— SoldierKnowsBest (@SoldierKnowBest) January 8, 2020

With the global adoption of a new network standard, the TCL foldable will support 5G. It is speculated to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, both of which are 5G-ready. From an imaging standpoint, the bifold version does not sport a front-facing camera, but features a four-sensor array for the main module.

Motorola stood out among the other foldable handset thanks to its innovative hinge system. The patented mechanism prevented creases on the flexible substrate. It remains to be seen if TCL will come up with a similar solution to address the problem. It appears that industry analysts, as well as journalists who are attending CES 2020, will have to wait until the Mobile World Congress next month to learn more about these handsets.