Foldable phones have become a trend for tech companies these days, and while they've yet to perfect the design of a phone that can fold once, TCL has kicked it up a notch and came up with a smartphone prototype that folds twice.
TCL has revealed its DragonHinge concept, which is essentially a fancy term for its bizarre "S" style accordion design. The Chinese company has joined the pool of phone makers aiming to produce a device with a bendable screen, and in fact, has shown some concepts at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year.
CNET managed to get its hands on the tri-fold smartphone, although the lack of a working screen implies that it's a TCL prototype. Still, they were able to explore the device and assess its potential.
The DragonHinge concept follows a shape that can be likened to an accordion if the phone is in its compact state. Once folded out, users can choose how much display they want to use - the entire screen at 10 inches, or two-thirds of the overall width. The back of the device shows four cameras lined up in a single row.
What's uncomfortable about TCL's design is the fact that the screen bends in different directions at each joint. At its current state, foldable phones are hardly what you'd call a durable handset, so on the off chance the phone is bent in the wrong direction, you've already lost $2,000, and that's just the minimum.
One thing we couldn't help but notice is the presence of ripples on the screen's plastic surface specifically on those points. It's a case similar to the Galaxy Fold - there are creases that you wouldn't want to see on your smartphone.
Granted, TCL is yet to perfect its DragonHinge concept. There's still time, as the company hasn't set a schedule for the phone's release as of writing. But already they seem bent to do so, has revealed its design for the public to see.
There's a change TCL may not go with this accordion-esque concept too if the company sees enough vulnerabilities that would convince them to go with another design. One rumor is that its new smartphone could be similar to the foldable Razr that's also been a staple in the rumor mill. Motorola will reveal its own foldable device come Nov. 13.
For now, TCL did a pretty good job keeping us on our toes as it attempts to stand out among the companies that already have foldable gadgets in their current line.
