It’s no secret that TCL is busy working on both folding and rollable displays, and hopes to launch a phone with one of these technologies later this year. However, the latest rumor indicates a device that is both flexible and rollable at the same time.
That’s according to interior sketches and proportions seen by CNET, which puts a hinge on one side of the display with a rollable extension on the other – two types of extension screen technology in one seedless whole.
In theory, this approach would turn a complex phone into a rather large tablet. CNET says the plans are to be announced in mid-April, when TCL will also officially launch the 20-series phones that made their debut at CES 2021.
For now the hardware is described as a “concept machine”, and there is no certainty as to whether the fold-and-rollable material will be sold – something we found ourselves saying a lot like manufacturers experiment with various screen form factors and technologies. .
TCL has been making noises about folded phones for a number of years at this stage, and considering its experience in making television sets, you would have thought that its company is well placed to push phones out in a number of form factors.
We have already seen a rollable handset from the manufacturer in prototype format, while roll screens have also been seen in TV sets made by TCL. But the journey from concept tool to finished product is not always smooth.
Oppo has been working on rollable phones as well, and we know it’s something Samsung is looking into as well. Rolls are capable of being stronger and more reliable than folders, as the screen doesn’t have to bend – it just expands in one direction.
The question is whether manufacturers can get the rollable technology to a working place to integrate it into mobile devices, to go hand in hand with the number of folded phones we are seeing. Based on these sketches, TCL is going to do its best to make it happen.