TCL is working on a smartphone that stretches to become a tablet

The Chinese manufacturer TCL is working on a new hybrid smartphone design. Like the Galaxy Fold or the Mate X, this product can switch from a smartphone mode to a tablet mode. On the other hand, the TCL concept screen does not fold, it deploys thanks to its sliding chassis.

In 2019, we experienced the emergence of a new market segment. We are talking about that of hybrid smartphones, focusing on a double ergonomics: smartphones and tablets. At the center of this trend is innovative technology: the flexible screens. Two smartphones meet this definition today: the Huawei Mate X and the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

The release of these two smartphones, as well as those of the Motorola Razr and the Galaxy Z Flip, poses some questions about the durability of flexible screens. They show extreme fragility. Some brands, such as Samsung, LG or Sony, are therefore looking for alternatives to improve the durability and ergonomics of hybrid products. One of these alternatives is to roll up the screen, not to fold it.

This alternative comes from the TCL brand. The Chinese company wanted to present to the Mobile World Congress an interesting prototype. And as you can see, this is a smartphone with part of the chassis sliding to reveal a screen surface similar to that of the Galaxy Fold.

The visuals unveiled by CNET do not reveal the screen technology and the mechanism that allows to go from one state to another. The most credible assumption is that the screen is rollable. The advantage of this solution is that the screen is never folded (but curved), eliminating the risk of marking, and there is no hinge either. So this is an interesting design which we hope will be presented in the near future. What do you think about this design? We await your opinion in the comments.