A closer look at Royole's foldable display
The FlexPai's anticipated December release seemingly came out of nowhere. Like competitors, Royole had shown off its proprietary folding technology as part of a standalone demos, but it hadn't teased the arrival of a smartphone until the device was ready to ship. It's a far cry, certainly, from the not ready for prime time prototype Samsung marched out on stage last month.
At an event in Shenzhen, CEO Bill Liu told TechCrunch that the company was built around the desire to bring the technology to market. "We started from the flexible displays and flexible sensors," he explained. "We started the company with a focus on the flexible displays and sensors. And then along the way, we realized this could be a huge application for the technology."
[...] It's a difficult problem and Royole solved it with in-house technologies. No one can take that away from the company. I can't say my initial apprehensions were ultimately dissuaded, however. The FlexPai mostly works as desired, but the execution isn't what ultimately the kind of premium product one would expect, given the ultra-premium price tag (around $1,300 American).
Liu happily dropped the phone a couple of times on stage, in an attempt to put to rest any durability question. While the display ultimately didn't crack or scratch, the flexible material looks almost like cellophane and sports crinkles that catch the light — the clarity also leaves something to be desire.
As far as portability, it's true that you can fold it up and stuff it in your pocket, though it's pretty chunky when you do so. Ultimately, these are first generation products — and likely a result of a company pushing to be first to market, knowing full well that companies like Samsung were breathing down its neck.
Don't be an early adopter.
Previously: Royole Beats Samsung and Others in Race to Create the First Foldable Smartphone
Google Will Support Foldable Devices; Samsung Announces 2019 Foldable Phone
Related Stories
Royole's bendy-screen FlexPai phone unveiled in China
A little-known California-based company has laid claim to creating the "world's first foldable phone".
Royole Corporation - a specialist in manufacturing flexible displays - unveiled the FlexPai handset at an event in Beijing. When opened, the device presents a single display measuring 7.8in (19.8cm) - bigger than many tablets. But when folded up, it presents three separate smaller screens - on the front, rear and spine of the device.
The six-year-old company said it would hold three "flash sales" to consumers in China on 1 November to offer the first product run.
[...] The launch has caught many industry watchers by surprise. It was widely believed Samsung or Huawei would be the first to sell such a device to the public.
[...] Another company-watcher added that he doubted the FlexPai would ever be produced in large numbers. "Royole has carried out several publicity stunts over the years to showcase its flexible OLED [organic light-emitting diode] displays," said Dr Guillaume Chansin from Irimitech Consulting. "The FlexPai is probably another stunt. Royole is building its first OLED factory and it is now trying to compete directly with other display manufacturers such as Samsung and LG."
Samsung has been talking about this kind of thing for years. But talk is cheap.
See also: The World's First Foldable Screen Phone Is Not Fully Baked
Related: Flexible and Printable Battery that Will Revolutionize Wearables
Underwriters Laboratories Certifies "Unbreakable" and Flexible Samsung OLED Display
Nubia's Wearable Smartphone is a Preview of our Flexible OLED Future
Google says Android will natively support 'foldables' to limit fragmentation
Google is officially announcing support for a category of Android devices it's decided to call "Foldables." Speaking today at the Android Developer Summit, VP of engineering Dave Burke said that Google is "enhancing Android to take advantage of this new form factor with as little work as necessary." But as of right now, those enhancements are mostly just guidance for developers to start using already-existing features that are built into Android.
If you haven't heard, devices with folding displays are about to become a thing. Today is the day when Samsung will stop teasing and start showing its phone with a folding display at its developer conference, which is happening at the same time as Google's summit. Google tells me that it's working closely with Samsung on how Android will develop foldables. But Google's focus is on making sure that it becomes a platform-level thing for Android that any OEM can use.
Samsung to Launch Foldable Phone in 2019
Samsung used its developer conference in San Francisco Wednesday to officially announce that it will launch a foldable smartphone some time in 2019. The phone is using the company's own new Infinity Flex display, which allows it to be folded and unfolded repeatedly without wear and tear.
"When it's open, it's a tablet, offering a big-screen experience," said Samsung vice president of mobile marketing Justin Denison. "When it's closed, it's a phone that fits neatly inside your pocket."
Denison showed off a phone featuring the new display technology on stage, which featured a 7.3-inch display when unfolded. However, the device itself was camouflaged to hide key design aspects. The company also didn't offer any branding for the new phone, and Denison didn't want to commit to a firm launch date, instead just saying that the company would begin mass production "in the coming months."
Also at Android Police.
Previously: Royole Beats Samsung and Others in Race to Create the First Foldable Smartphone
Huawei Mate X vs. Samsung Galaxy Fold: Ask the Press
The folding hybrid phone-tablets are probably the biggest story to come out of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019.
Smartphones
Energizer 'thick boi' phone gives 50 days of battery lifeThe F(x)tec Pro 1 is a love letter to your old QWERTY keyboard phones
Oppo Demonstrates 5G Smartphone at MWC 2019
The Sony Xperia 1: A Long 21:9 HDR 4K OLED Smartphone
People Say a Weird Aspect of Nokia's New Smartphone Is Triggering Their Trypophobia
(It's a spider.)
Other
Related: Royole Beats Samsung and Others in Race to Create the First Foldable Smartphone
More on Royole's Foldable Smartphone, the FlexPai
Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 8cx, an ARM Chip Intended for Laptops
Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone-Tablet Hybrid Device
Micron and SanDisk (Western Digital) Announce 1 TB MicroSD Cards
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Monday November 19 2018, @07:25PM
How about targeting flexible tech to my-arms-are-not-flat wearables, instead ?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday November 19 2018, @08:01PM (6 children)
I use both a phone and a tablet for various content consuming activities, and having one device able to be both things would be great.
I won't be buying the Royale however, or the Samsung device as it is going to take several years for manufacturers to figure out how to make it all work, then figure out the little wrinkles that actually make a usable device.
I might wind up getting a Samsung X-4 (or 5 maybe).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19 2018, @08:19PM
I'll consider getting a flexible phone once Apple "invents" it in 5 years or so.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Monday November 19 2018, @08:26PM (4 children)
In some cases, literal wrinkles.
I don't think we'll need to wait "several years" though. Flexible OLEDs are probably going to be made in the hundreds of millions by Samsung and LG, and will even be added to non-flexible devices due to their shatterproof nature. They may not command a price premium for very long, so we could see them in the $100-200 devices. I would revisit this 2 years after the Samsung Flexiwhatever debut.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday November 19 2018, @09:07PM (3 children)
Two years might be a little optimistic, but you might be right.
I wonder what Apple is making of this? Have they the courage to make a foldable phone?
(Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Monday November 19 2018, @09:21PM (1 child)
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. [9to5mac.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday November 19 2018, @09:33PM
Oh yes. I had forgotten they were first to market with a bending phone.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Monday November 19 2018, @09:26PM
A self-driving car.
With Jobs no more, it will be a concrete example of reality distortion.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford