Sarah Tew/CNET When I finally got my hands on the Royole Flexpai, the world's first flexible smartphone, I couldn't stop obsessing about the rubber spine as I opened and closed it. I worried that I was going to break it, but the two halves snapped into place via magnets just fine. Watching the Android operating system flex and bend on the display kept me riveted. But then I tried using the phone. I tapped the screen, and nothing happened. When it finally did, another widget popped over the main menu. I folded out the display, and waited for the screen to reorient itself. And waited. Tap, tap, tap. Nothing, nothing, nothing. It was definitely not ready for prime time. Now playing: Watch this: Samsung's foldable phone is coming soon To be fair, the phone I tried out wasn't a commercial-ready unit yet, and the Royole engineer who showed me the phone said updates were coming daily. But that first awkward experience underscores some of the growing pains that flexible smartphones are likely to endure as they make their debut this year. The idea of a device that you unfold to enlarge, or roll up to put in your pocket, is the stuff of sci-fi movies, the kind of thing I grew up fantasizing about. Only, it's real now, and it opens the door to new types of designs beyond the boring slab of plastic or metal. "Remember when we went from the keyboard to the screen," Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said in an interview on Monday at CES 2019. "It was so huge. Innovation came with it." Vestberg declined to comment on whether Verizon would sell a foldable phone. I first saw Royole's FlexPai this week at CES, where LG also showed off a 65-inch OLED television that rolls up into a box. And then there was the beautiful "LG waterfall" formed from dozens of curved displays at the entrance to its booth. Flexible displays have long been hyped up, but Samsung put some substance behind the hype last November when it showed off a prototype foldable Galaxy smartphone. In October, Huawei, the No. 2 smartphone maker in the world, confirmed that it was working on a similar device. At CES, a number of handset makers spoke to me about their experiences. Now playing: Watch this: Galaxy S10, 5G and foldable phones make news at CES 2019 But a new design could also mean new interface, and that could prove awkward and buggy. Some handset vendors talked about the challenge of making a bendable phone able to handle daily use, while others noted that the software and interface required by new design could be complicated. Google has said it would support foldable phones in its next version of Android, but that's nearly a year away. While I'm genuinely excited about flexible phones, I'm also skeptical. If foldable devices represent a revolution in design, what we see in 2019 will be the catalyst. Just don't expect a big spark. Samsung Galaxy X or Galaxy F? If anyone can create a polished product, it's Samsung. The company has teased a foldable phone for years, and it's finally ready to deliver in the first half. "2019 is the perfect blend of consumer interest in this technology and technology advancements," said Suzanne de Silva, director of product marketing and strategy for Samsung Electronics, in an interview with CNET. The rumored Galaxy X or Galaxy F is expected to make an appearance at Samsung's Unpacked event in February, even if the focus will be on the flagship Galaxy S10 smartphone. Unlike the Flexpai, whose screens fold on the outside, Samsung's flexible screen will be on the inside, and the device will close up like a clamshell. (There's also a smaller, more standard screen on the outside.) De Silva called it a feat of engineering, noting that the phone has an articulated spine that allows it to open and close smoothly like a book. When the FlexPai is folded, there's still an annoying gap in the middle, as in the Microsoft Surface Book laptop. Samsung But just as important as the hardware is the software, and having an experience that best makes use of all that screen real estate. Samsung, however, has had a mixed history with its software and user experience. Part of me is worried about the challenges of a completely new design scheme. De Silva said Samsung is focusing on the software, including the ability to run three apps simultaneously and to do one-handed navigation even with the bigger display. Others are more cautious. "While it seems obvious that people would love a small phone that has a big display, until we see these phones, it won't be clear whether consumers are willing to accept the trade-offs that new form factors inevitably bring," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Global Data. Revolution or gimmick? Whether it succeeds or fails, Samsung's entry into the foldable phone world will make an impact. The Galaxy Note franchise made obscenely big displays a thing. The foldable Galaxy phone could similarly drag the rest of the industry into this area. Beyond Samsung and Huawei, handset makers at the show talked about the challenges of using flexible displays. China's TCL, the company that makes BlackBerry and Alcatel smartphones, said it would create a flexible device by 2020, which could be a phone. It has the help of its own display maker, China Star Optoelectronics Technology, which makes displays for its phones and televisions. "Having this in house gives us an advantage," said Stefan Streit, general manager of global marketing for TCL. LG, which also has a sister company that works on displays, has already toyed with this area. "You saw our rollable TVs," said LG Chief Technology Officer I.P. Park. "You can assume we can do much more there." Skeptics everywhere But Park didn't commit to any timing on a foldable phone. He also cast some doubt on such a device's ability to withstand wear and tear. "I don't think anybody has a 100 percent solution at this point," Park said. Royole said that its phone was tested for 200,000 bends, and is already on back order. An executive from another handset maker that didn't want to identified noted that bending a phone with the display on the outside (FlexPai method) is much easier than on the inside (Samsung method). That person's company was still working on the durability issue of the inside-folding option. "There's lots of work to be done before it becomes consumer-friendly," the executive said. Sarah Tew/CNET Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights, expects five to 10 companies to announce a foldable device, and he said he was impressed by what he saw at CES. "I'm expecting much higher-quality devices in February" at the Mobile World Congress trade show, he said. MediaTek Chief Financial Officer David Ku, likewise, was skeptical about the prospects for foldable phones in China because of the potential cost. "I would say it's a few years to go," he said. With all the focus on 5G this year, flexible phones may end up as a side act until that new networking technology matures. "2019 is about 5G and full display designs," said Wayne Lam, an analyst at IHS. "I would say the market won't get really interesting until 2020." CNET's Shara Tibken and Lynn La contributed to this story. Published Jan. 11 at 5:42pm PT. Update: Jan. 12 at 5:57pm PT to correct the statement that TCL will release a foldable phone in 2020. It will release a foldable device, which could be a phone. CES 2019: See all of CNET's coverage of the year's biggest tech show. Galaxy S10 launch date confirmed: Tune in Feb. 20 for Samsung's Unpacked event.<doc-sep>Chinese company Royole has presented the world's first foldable smartphone, the FlexiPai, at CES in Las Vegas.The FlexPai is a tablet that has small hinges allowing it to be folded up to the size of a smartphone. Once its AMOLED display is folded back out, the device effectively has two screens that can operate completely independently.Royole CEO Bill Liu says the display can be folded up to 200,000 times without wear. The device's flexibility also protects it from breaking when dropped, the company says.The FlexPai uses the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 processor and has a 3,800 mAh battery. The smartphone's camera has a 20 megapixel telephoto lens and a 16 megapixel wide-angle lens, which can also be used for taking selfies.The phone presented at CES is still only a prototype for software developers interested in creating applications for the device, and it's not yet clear when the device will go on sale. Developers can buy it for €1,300 (RM6,129). The company did not name a retail price.Liu also said that the display technology could be useful in other fields as well, such as for large displays in cars or planes, as well as for billboards or even art installations.There are rumours that other manufacturers like Huawei are looking into foldable devices as well. – dpa<doc-sep>
Royole Corporation, a Chinese flexible electronics manufacturing company has showcased the world's first commercially available foldable smartphone, which is called as Royole FlexPai. This smartphone is built on the Royole’s flexible AMOLED display technology. As a reminder, the company had already launched the device last year in China. After competing in the home market, the company will be launching the foldable phone in US market by end of March. FlexPai is World&'s First Foldable Smartphone; Priced at CNY 8999 Launched -Checkout Video. Coming to the specifications, the FlexPai foldable phone packs powerful configurations. Under the hood, the foldable phone gets a Qualcomm’s flagship chipset - Snapdragon 855 SoC, which is clubbed with two RAM and storage configurations - 6GB RAM + 128GB & 8GB RAM + 256GB of internal storage. The foldable phone runs on the latest version of Android 9 Pie OS with custom Water OS skin. Aesthetically, FlexPai has two halves with a giant hinge in the middle wherein the one side featuring electronics whereas the other gets 4000 mAh battery. Sony Xperia Foldable Smartphone With Transparent Screen Under Works: Rumour. In the camera department, the FlexPai gets two cameras - 16MP and 24MP cameras, both of them face forwards. For taking a selfie, the phone should be kept in tablet mode while a regular photo; the customers need to fold it aligning the camera backwards. Feature wise, the phone gets a USB Type-C port, a hybrid slot with memory expansion, a power button with an embedded fingerprint sensor, volume rockers and much more. Samsung Galaxy S10 Flagship Smartphone Launch Date Officially Revealed; Global Debut Scheduled on February 20. Thank you for IDG's @IDGCapital The Best Global Mobile Phone Breakthrough Innovation Award 2018! We cannot express enough of our gratitude to all the support that IDG has been giving us the past years! #CES2019 #IDG pic.twitter.com/qVChAmuGt2 — Royole Corporation (@RoyoleOfficial) January 10, 2019 According to the report from Gadgets 360, the company will be starting shipment to other countries by the end of March or early April, this year. As far as the prices are concerned, the phone is expected to get starting price of around $1600, which is around Rs. 1.12 lakh. The company also said that they are considering India as an important market, however, they are still working out on the local distribution partners. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2019 03:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).