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Last week, a little-known company unveiled the world's first smartphone with a foldable screen, beating Samsung in the foreground. Called the FlexPai, it has a 7.8-inch screen that, it is said, can bend like a wallet. But does it really work?
On Monday, we tried the FlexPai and the phone folds and unfolds. Unfortunately, the novelty fades quickly enough and you end up with a strange hybrid device that still needs a lot of tweaking.
Why does the world need a foldable phone? The manufacturer of FlexPai, a young Californian company called Royole, is promoting the device as an Android handset that can easily switch to a mini tablet.
Folded, the FlexPai is essentially a smartphone with two screens, one at the back and one at the front. It is small enough to fit in the pocket of pants, but then you can open the device to access a larger screen.
This screen is where the FlexPai shines. Royole, which has a factory in Shenzhen, China, has been developing its flexible display technology for six years. The screens are mounted on a plastic film a few microns thick but can be bent 200,000 times before the material starts to degrade.
We were wondering if Royole should have sacrificed the quality of the screen to create the bending effect, but that is not the case. The FlexPai's screen, which offers a resolution of 1,920 x 1,440 pixels, is comparable to that of other smartphones. The only difference is that this phone can bend.
The FlexPai does this with the help of a hinge placed under the flexible screen, but switching from tablet mode to smartphone mode is not as transparent as you might think.
It's not like you're using a flip phone. It takes a bit of strength; you will probably have to use two hands. During our period of use of the FlexPai, the device sometimes emitted an audible crack as we unrolled it.
But the biggest problem is the software. Ideally, the FlexPai should automatically detect switching from tablet mode to smartphone mode and change the aspect ratio of the screen to make transitions transparent. But the Android operating system aboard the aircraft has had trouble detecting its orientation.
As a result, the screen sometimes switches between the horizontal and vertical modes. Applications also appear in strange positions, making the phone use experience a bit dizzying. This did not help that our fingers often accidentally touch a virtual button or application on the touch screen, resulting in the opening of a new window. You will need to use the FlexPai slowly and carefully to avoid errors.
Royole said that it worked to optimize the Android-based operating system. The company is also investing $ 30 million to fund the development of applications for FlexPai so that third-party software can adapt to alternate screen sizes of the device. But we are still not completely convinced of the need for a foldable phone.
Of course, it's cool to watch, and the device can actually work a bit like a 2-in-1 convertible PC. Using the hinge, the FlexPai can also attach itself to a office, while its wraparound screen allows you to project the appearance of people when you take pictures.
However, as a smartphone, the FlexPai is a little awkward. Do you really want to unfold and fold your phone all day? At a minimum, the bending effect needs to be more intuitive and transparent. For the moment, dealing with a traditional smartphone is easier, although we are curious to see the technology of Samsung evolve, which will probably be unveiled tomorrow.
The other challenge that FlexPai faces is its price. It starts at $ 1,291, which makes it more expensive than the Apple iPhone XS. And it's not even aluminum or elegant glass, but in a plastic case. The specifications include a future Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 processor, at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, as well as the addition of two speakers at the back.
Royole plans to start selling the FlexPai in China in late December. The company also wants to launch it in the United States, but needs a carrier partner. Meanwhile, Royole is doing a special edition for FlexPai developers available in the US next month for $ 1,318. You can order it right now on the company's website.
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