Royole returns with a better foldable phone

Do you remember the first foldable phone? No, not Samsung’s ill-fated original Galaxy Fold – the one that beat it in the market. Looking back, and honestly back then, Royole’s FlexPai was a rushed attention grab that only existed to achieve world-first status. But it’s not like it came out of nowhere; Royole had been created several years earlier just to develop flexible display technology, so it’s understandable that the company wants to get a head start on Samsung to show what it can do. A flex, if you will.

Unfortunately, the FlexPai was bad. But now there’s a FlexPai 2, and it’s surprisingly good enough. I have been using a Chinese model for quite some time and can report that this is a big improvement over the original, with some distinct refinements in the design. Samsung won’t have much to worry about, but that’s not necessarily the goal here.

Royole doesn’t see itself as just a consumer electronics company. It has partnerships with hundreds of brands that see it providing flexible display and sensor technology to AirBus, Toyota and Louis Vuitton. A representative of Royole tells The edge that the company is happy with the performance of the FlexPai 2 in China so far, but would not disclose sales data. At around $ 500 cheaper than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 2, it’s worth looking at the number of units it sells.

Royole has also announced plans to announce global availability early next year. As such, this is not a full review of the FlexPai 2 – my review unit was loaded with Chinese-only software, so I can’t tell you much about the daily experience of the driver. I can tell you though that the material is quite impressive.

The FlexPai 2 folds in contrast to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold devices; that is, the main screen wraps around the outside of the curve rather than the inside, so it remains exposed when the hinge is closed. It’s the same approach as Huawei’s Mate X foldable phones. When folded, the FlexPai 2 is roughly the same size and shape as a passport, while the unfolded screen is comparable to an iPad mini.

You really get three displays in one with the FlexPai 2, even if you only use one at a time. The screen is a 7.8 inch 1920 x 1440 4: 3 panel that converts to a 5.5 inch 1440 x 900 16:10 panel or a 5.4 inch 1440 x 810 16.9 panel once folded, whichever half you are looking at. The reason it doesn’t fold evenly is that there is a large bezel on one side of the screen that houses the phone’s four cameras.

The build quality is solid, although a slightly thicker plastic gasket on the side opposite the screen to the cameras betrays the need for a bit more durable protection than on your average smartphone. The phone feels great when unfolded, with a slim 6.8mm-thick metal frame, and the hinge is smooth and torquey, without the awkward rubber accordion of the original FlexPai. One advantage of Royole’s new design over Samsung’s is that it can be folded firmly without leaving any space between the two halves of the screen.

The downside is apparent on the display. The OLED panel itself looks pretty decent, with good contrast and brightness, and while the resolution isn’t the best in its class, it’s pretty sharp at 308 ppi. The problem is, because the screen has a larger radius of curvature than the Galaxy Fold, which bends at an acute angle on the inside, more of that crease is visible when the phone is unfolded. Basically the fold is much bigger. I don’t find it too distracting, as it’s only really visible when the light catches it the wrong way. But you can certainly feel the hinge behind the screen every time you slide in the middle, which isn’t ideal.

I can’t really talk about durability other than to say that I haven’t seen any issues in my month and more with the device. I asked Royole for details of his own ULT-NSSP material used in the “Cicada Wing” display, and a representative did not confirm if it was plastic or glass, saying only that he was “made up of about 100 micro-nano materials”. They also said it was “shatterproof and functional after nearly two million folds” which makes me think it’s plastic. It really looks like plastic. But the same goes for Samsung’s “ultra-thin glass”. Just be aware that Royole is not yet the one who gives folding screens a premium feel to the touch.

The FlexPai 2 has high-end specs inside, with a Snapdragon 865 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and a 4,450mAh battery. I found the performance to be pretty good, with a few of the software issues plaguing the original FlexPai every time you wanted to change orientation. As I mentioned before, I was unable to use it as the primary device due to its built-in software, but Royole’s WaterOS seems to have been improved a bit over the original FlexPai.

At 9,998 yuan, or around $ 1,500, the FlexPai 2 still isn’t exactly cheap. And Royole’s status as a newcomer to the mobile industry is another good reason to view the device with suspicion. But my hardware experience has been quite positive, and Royole’s screen technology may well end up in other companies’ phones at some point; ZTE was introduced as one of the first partners.

It’s still hard to recommend buying a foldable phone to anyone, but Royole deserves some credit for improving his initial effort dramatically. The original FlexPai was a hasty attempt at notoriety, but its sequel looks like a much more believable device. If Royole can nail the software and maybe drop the price a bit more for a Western version, it might be worth a look if you’re in love with the form factor.