Smartphone sales are bad – and have been for a few years. Certainly this ongoing pandemic did not help. All conversations about how 5G and new form factors would create some kind of rebound fell by the wayside as people pause for unnecessary luxury.
Samsung is the only company that has had some success with the foldable form factor, and it got off to … a difficult start. Initially there were many technical issues that made the first impression look less promising. Nowadays, price continues to be a major hurdle – especially at a time when paying $ 1,000 and more over the phone is a big red flag for many.
In the world of phone form factors, at least two are the beginning of a trend. And on the first day of CES Both LG and TCL have offered another form factor designed to provide more screen space in handheld devices.
Photo credit: TCL
LG’s product is the most notable of the two right now, largely because the company plans to actually bring the thing out. In an interview published this morning, spokesman Ken Hong said said Nikkei“As it will be released at CES 2021, I can say it will be released this year.”
Indeed, LG is a company not afraid to take risks with a crazy form factor. There are a number of examples of this phenomenon over the past few years, particularly the LG Wing’s pivoting screen.
Even so, the product wasn’t much more than a quick test during a press conference (an excuse to transition between scenes). So one could forgive the fact that technology still has a long way to go.
TCL determined in advance that the product was still in the concept phase, but we managed to get a better overview. I suppose it’s easier to demonstrate a concept than an unfinished real world product. The details are still small, but the company says the device can be expanded from 6.7 to 7.8 inches.
Imagine – or at least hope – that the industry has learned from the problems posed by the first batch of leaflets. Sometimes the race to bring technology to market results in something half-baked being delivered, a problem that bites companies like Samsung and Motorola again. Laboratory tests are one thing – the real world is another entirely.
