The 2020 product lineup from Chinese manufacturer, TCL may include a foldable device, according to a recently leaked roadmap.
Tech informant, Evan Blass shared Monday, slides with details about TCLs upcoming products and when they are set to release to market. Among those is a device called the TCL FlexTab, which will likely be the company’s first foldable.
The leak doesn’t reveal that much about the FlexTab, except its name and that it will likely launch during the third quarter of 2020. The device’s display may support technologies including, HDR10+ certification, MEMC 2.0, and Dynamic Color 3.0 among others.
It appears the device may be more like a tablet overall than a smartphone, with an inward fold. Such a setup could suggest the FlexTab could fold in a way that allows it to bend like a laptop or a tablet with a folio case and use the bottom fold keyboard. However, these details are not confirmed.
TCL shared some of its foldable plans earlier this year, showcasing its DragonHinge technology to press at Mobile World Congress 2019 in February. This is the mechanism that will support the display bend on TCLs foldables. The manufacturer also detailed then it will likely work with its sister company, China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) to provide flexible AMOLED displays
According to TCL, it’s first foldable may feature a 7.2-inch 2K (2048 x 1536) AMOLED display with a 90.73 percent screen to body ratio that folds inward from 0 to 180 degrees. If accurate, this could mean the device may still be very similar to foldable products that have already been announced. The device may be like an inward folding version of Huawei Mate X or the Royale FlexPai, rather than comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
TCL also detailed that consumers should expect its foldable device to be much more cost-effective than those already announced by competitors.
