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Huawei Mate X: A first look at Samsung’s biggest foldable rival
Foldable phone fever meets 5G mania in Huawei's latest flagship. At MWC, the company unveiled the new Mate X, joining the likes of Samsung and Royole in offering smartphones with folding screens. Huawei's Mate X also claims to be the fastest 5G folding phone -- but it's not the first in the category to support the latest networking standard. We're not looking at a me-too product here; Huawei's take on the device has a few compelling differences from other folding phones we've seen so far that has me thinking it may have the best approach. We were able to check out a prototype (though we weren't allowed to touch it), and from that brief encounter, I'm already intrigued.
TCL's folding phone projects include a watch-like bracelet
Multiple companies have ideas as to how they'll develop folding smartphones. TCL, however, isn't content to settle on one -- it's seemingly tackling them all. CNET has obtained images and patent filings that show TCL exploring five foldable designs. Four of them are ultimately variants on a theme (folding horizontally or vertically, inward or outward), but a fifth model would turn into a smartwatch-style bracelet. Effectively, it'd resurrect Lenovo's Cplus concept as a practical product.
What to expect from Samsung’s Galaxy S10 event
We're mere days away from Samsung's next Unpacked event, so the Korean conglomerate is all but ready to dish the details on the Galaxy S10 smartphone family. Not that we're totally in the dark, of course. As is the case in the lead-up to all flagship smartphone launches, the rumor mill has been picking up pace over the past weeks and months, giving us more than a few hints on what to expect on February 20th. The new Galaxy S10 range will obviously be the headline act, but Samsung's foldable phone is certain to make an appearance, and perhaps there'll be a few surprises that've thus far avoided the leak treatment, too.
That's probably not Samsung's foldable phone
Showcasing an array of Samsung innovations that haven't happened yet, a video reportedly posted then pulled by Samsung Vietnam showed a foldable phone in use. Around the 23-second mark, a woman unfurls a folding Galaxy phone minus the unwieldy casing we saw on Samsung's Infinity Flex display revealed at SDC 2018. Both the Galaxy S10 series and... whatever Samsung titles its debut foldable phone are meant to appear at Samsung's Unpacked event scheduled for February 20th. So an accidental leak a few weeks before might not shock. But I'm not sure this is it.
Samsung may unveil its foldable phone and Galaxy S10 on February 20th (update)
Samsung has traditionally launched its new Galaxy S phones at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress. This year, though, it appears it's breaking with tradition. Wall Street Journal reports that the company will be showing off its 10th anniversary flagship phone line up and its much-anticipated foldable phone at events in San Francisco and London on February 20th. Initial reports suggested we'd have to wait until March to see the foldable, rumored to be called the "Galaxy F".
The world's first real foldable phone is rough around the edges
Unless you're (for some reason) a fan of personal cinema headsets, you almost certainly haven't heard of Royole. That's OK -- founder and CEO Bill Liu wanted it that way. Unbeknownst to most of the world, Royole has quietly been working to pioneer and perfect its own flexible screens since 2012, and its new FlexPai smartphone represents something of a coming-out party.
Live from LG's CES 2019 press event!
The CES 2019 madness is kicking off with LG's press conference today. As we found out earlier this week, the company will be showing off its new OLED and LCD TVs, including two 8K sets. Rumor has it LG could be ready to unveil a foldable phone, though don't be disappointed if that doesn't actually happen here in Las Vegas. It may be waiting to introduce it later in the year, when it wouldn't have to compete for attention with the thousands of other gadgets being announced. Either way, we'll find out together and bring you the news as it happens at 11AM ET / 8AM PT. Keep your eyes on this page.
Xiaomi might build a three-panel foldable phone
Don't look now, but Samsung's foldable phone might already be old hat. Reputable leaker Evan Blass has shared a video of what's believed to be a three-panel folding phone from Xiaomi. The dimly-lit clip shows precious little beyond the display, but it's clearly the centerpiece. In addition to providing a large landscape view, the two side panels can fold backward to provide a conventional phone-sized screen.
LG hints at foldable plans by trademarking 'Flex,' 'Foldi' and 'Duplex'
Foldable smartphones have been on the agenda for a long time now, with a steady stream of headlines suggesting manufacturers have something in the works, or are planning on launching something at a vague point in the future. LG is certainly one of them, and now a new trademark application may reveal the model names the company has in mind for whatever it eventually conjures.
Hit or miss, Samsung’s foldable phone is a big deal
How would I use it? That's what we were all thinking as Samsung's Justin Denison whipped out a prototype folding smartphone. A phone that can open up to become a 7.3-inch tablet would be pretty handy when out and about. Like when writing on the go, or watching Netflix on a train or in a hotel room, for a start. A pocket-sized device that could double in size when required would be awfully handy.
Samsung debuts foldable 'Infinity Flex' phone display
As predicted, Samsung has unveiled a flexible display at the company's 2018 developer conference in San Francisco. It's still very much in prototype stage, but Samsung wanted to take the opportunity to show off how UI and UX works on a flexible display, so that developers can make apps that optimize it.
Android will natively support foldable phones
Samsung said it would unveil its foldable phone features at its developer conference, and Google is willing to help out. The company is introducing native foldable device support in Android to let apps and interfaces adapt to phones that can bend on a whim. You could watch a movie on a folded screen while you're on the bus, for instance, but have the video resize for the unfolded screen when you're at home. And this isn't just a theoretical exercise -- Google is working with multiple device makers who plan foldable Android hardware, Samsung included.
Samsung to reveal foldable phone features this week
As Samsung Mobile's CEO suggested months ago, the company is preparing to release some details of its "foldable phone" during a developer's conference in San Francisco -- and as seen by the logo treatment below, its social media accounts are fully prepared. In a call with reporters after releasing its quarterly earnings last week, exec Lee Kyeong-tae explained that it would show off some of the UI features to explain how it improves multitasking, usable as a phone when it's folded or as a tablet when opened.
Samsung is working on a foldable laptop display
Samsung has spent years talking up its upcoming foldable smartphone which, depending on who you ask, is dubbed either the Galaxy F or Galaxy X. But why stop there? Why not bring the bendy magic to other gadgets-with-a-screen? Well, it's doing exactly that, according to a Samsung exec. And next in line to get a foldable makeover is the company's laptops.
Huawei is working on a foldable 5G smartphone
It's wasn't too long ago that flip phones were all the rage, and now it looks they might have a spiritual successor. Richard Yu, CEO of Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, told Digital Trends that his company is working on foldable phones as part of its next-generation device lineup.
Samsung's foldable smartphone teased for November reveal
Samsung's foldable smartphone has been in the works for years, but now it looks like we're finally going to get a sneak peek of the technology within the next couple of months. Speaking to CNBC at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last week, Samsung Mobile's CEO DJ Koh said it's "time to deliver" on the long-promised device, and that it could be unveiled at the Samsung Developer Conference in November. Strong emphasis on the could, though -- Samsung does have a history of bigging up its plans.
This audacious curved-screen wearable has a gaudy camera
Just as Google is making Wear OS feel less like a smartphone system squeezed onto a watch, ZTE spinoff Nubia wants to slap a full phone on your wrist. At IFA 2018, the company unveiled a prototype device called the Nubia-A, which it's touting as a "wearable smartphone". That, to me, means smartwatch, but given the way companies like Apple, Google and Qualcomm seem to be moving away from wrist-worn smartphone wannabes, my definition might be inaccurate soon. Feast your eyes on this fascinating oddity, though you might want to avoid looking directly at the monstrous onboard camera.
Samsung will reportedly launch foldable-screen phone in early 2019
Samsung has been teasing the prospect of a foldable-screen smartphone for years, and even hoped to launch one this year. Now, however, it looks like that pipe dream might become a reality... if a little later than expected. Wall Street Journal sources have claimed that the folding-screen handset (codenamed "Winner") is now slated to arrive sometime in early 2019. It would have a 7-inch screen and would fold in half "like a wallet," with a compact "display bar" on one side of the folded phone and cameras on the back. It sounds somewhat like the design from a 2016 Samsung patent application, although there's little doubt that the real world product would vary sharply.
Apple is reportedly working on a 'foldable' iPhone for 2020
Apple changes its iPhone designs slowly and reluctantly, so folks were pretty surprised to see the famous notch in the iPhone X. That might be nothing compared to what it has planned for 2020, though, if you're willing to buy into a new rumor. A Merrill Lynch analyst told clients that "our checks suggest that Apple is working with suppliers on a foldable phone (that potentially could double up as a tablet) for launch in 2020," reports CNBC.
Mu One is an incredibly compact USB-C laptop charger
While laptops these days are getting thinner than ever, their chargers still aren't very briefcase-friendly. We've already seen a good attempt from MIT spinoff FINsix, but now we have something even more impressive from the other side of the pond. Made in Mind, a company best known for co-founder Min-Kyu Choi's foldable UK plug design, has just unveiled a super compact 45W USB-C international charger dubbed Mu One. This sweet little device supports USB Power Delivery with a maximum voltage of 20V, yet it maintains the same 14mm thickness as its 12W predecessor, thus making it the world's thinnest 45W USB charger. What's more, it's noticeably smaller and lighter than Apple's 29W USB-C MacBook adapter.
