The first smartphone with a foldable screen, the Royole FlexPai, actually works. Brief review of ZTE Axon M - A unique smartphone with design flaws
Samsung already in a few days will present its long-awaited tablet-smartphone hybrid, but Royole was able to attract some of the attention by introducing own version such a flexible device. The hybrid device is called FlexPai and, as expected, has a 7.8-inch screen that can bend 180 degrees - in this way the solution turns from a tablet into a smartphone, albeit a little thick.
At an event in San Francisco, Royole demonstrated FlexPai, and journalists were able to verify that it was indeed fully functional, including the function of folding the screen. Of course, the device feels far from the usual High Quality modern flagships, but is still the first foldable device to exist in reality, and not as a concept or early prototype.
FlexPai will be available as consumer device in China with base price 8999 yuan (about $1300). US residents can purchase the developer version of the device for this amount. Basic model includes 128 GB of flash memory and 6 GB of RAM. By paying another $150, the buyer can purchase the 256/8 GB option.
As for the rest of the specifications, the device will come with an 8-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon with a frequency of up to 2.8 GHz, a screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1440 when unfolded and a 3800 mAh battery. Both the consumer model and the developer version are available for pre-order now on the Royole website. The company notes that both variants are expected to launch in December.
It must be said that the device gives the impression of a rather early product. Software works extremely thoughtfully, applications constantly open involuntarily, and the screen orientation has changed quite a bit randomly, as a Royole representative demonstrated the folding process. Probably the Water OS platform, built on Android based 9.0 does not work very reliably yet.
The main innovation here, of course, is the wear-resistant AMOLED display with a fairly stable battery that can withstand the folding process many times. Royole says the screen is capable of flexing 200,000 times. This is, of course, a good and encouraging indicator, allowing us to hope that such well-developed devices may well become commonplace and the norm in the future.
Almost all modern smartphones offer high performance, quality camera and elegant design. The minimal differences between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 highlight the crisis of ideas among manufacturers. But, I had a little time to test ZTE Axon M.
ZTE tried to do something new with the release of a foldable ZTE phone Axon M. But, can this new smartphone boast of something other than your uniqueness? You will learn everything from this test.
While modern foldable phone concepts rely on flexible display technology, ZTE's Axon M is more reminiscent of the LG Voyager 2007. Another similarity with older phones is that the Axon M has very wide bezels and a bulky body.
One ZTE Axon M screen is on the front panel, the second is on the back. Both have a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, 5.2-inch diagonal, covered protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
When unfolded, the aluminum back panel of the smartphone is not impressive in appearance - there is nothing on it except the logo. On the left edge there is a volume rocker and a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Button quick launch allows you to open your favorite applications or go to the camera interface with a double tap.
For rich sound, two speakers use Dolby Atmos technology. One driver is located at the top, the other is located at the bottom, next to the port USB Type-C. Like the Axon 7, Hi-Fi quality sound is supported. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, which is rare in modern phones.
The new Axon M is almost twice as thick as most modern smartphones, but that doesn't make it too uncomfortable. As a rule, the second screen often remains inactive when folded, but it can be used as a stand.
Second screen
ZTE Axon M has four operating modes; you can switch between them using the “M” icon on the panel Android navigation. IN standard mode the second screen is turned back. When maximized, you can use both displays to open multiple apps at once. For example, Twitter on the left and Gmail on the right.
Another option for using the second panel is mirror reflection main display on the secondary display. This is very convenient for those who want to watch a movie or play a game together.
In the latter mode, the image is stretched across both screens, as if turning the Axon M into a tablet with a large 6.8-inch display.
Installed under the body Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 821, the same one found on last year's Google Pixel. There is also 64 GB of built-in and 4 GB random access memory. Performance is fast and consistent, despite the load the second screen puts on the system.
If storage isn't enough for you, the Axon M has a card slot MicroSD memory. But for wireless communication Bluetooth 4.2 is used instead of the new one Bluetooth standard 5.
operating room Android system 7.1.2 Nougat works with the MiFavor launcher. The expected transition to Android 8.0 Oreo has not yet happened.
The 3180 mAh battery will last 28.7 hours of talk time. Technology fast charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 allows you to charge it by 50% in 30 minutes via the included cable.
The ZTE Axon M has a camera only on the front panel - it is a 20-megapixel sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. Although the camera panel can be rotated back and the second screen can be used as a viewfinder.
Bottom line
New ZTE Axon M flip phone offers unique features, but its design flaws spoil everything. An elegant smartphone with a thin frame and a second flexible screen would be much better.
Advantages of ZTE Axon M
- Second screen.
- Excellent specifications.
- Good camera.
Disadvantages of Axon M
- Thick body.
- Outdated version of Android OS.
- Lack of protection from water.
New folding smartphone ZTE Axon M - video review
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The presentation of the first ever serial folding smartphone with a flexible screen took place in China - at least, this is what the developers themselves assure.
The developers are Rouyu Technology. The model is called FlexPai. It looks like a tablet and in fact is one, since the diagonal of the AMOLED screen reaches 7.8 inches.
However, if you fold it, bending the body along with the screen, you get a smartphone with two screens (front and back), each of which has a diagonal of about 4 inches. Rouyu Technology claims that the device can withstand about 200 thousand flexion-extension cycles.
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When opened, the thickness of the device is 7.6 mm, when folded it is 15.2.
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In design and construction, FlexPai is very similar to a similar device, which, according to Samsung, is being prepared for release.
The FlexPai dual camera consists of modules with a resolution of 20 and 16 megapixels. Additional module designed primarily to provide optical zoom.
The hardware platform of the smartphone is extremely interesting - the developers say that they used a flagship chipset, which has not even been officially announced yet. It is expected to be introduced at the end of the year and will replace the Snapdragon 845.
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There is no data on the battery yet, but it is known that it can be charged from zero to 80% in an hour thanks to the proprietary Ro-Charge fast charging technology.
The model runs Water OS - it’s so customized Android option, designed to be displayed both on a folded and unbent screen.
The limited edition FlexPai will supposedly go on sale in China in the coming days. The smartphone will be available in versions with 6/128, 8/256 and 8/512 GB of memory. Prices start at $1,300.
Let us add that smartphones of a similar form factor are currently being prepared by Samsung, Huawei, LG and some other companies. They are no longer destined to become the first in this area.
P.S. This whole story looks somewhat futuristic - a strange company, an unannounced top-end chipset, sales of only a small batch of devices and the lack of information about when it will begin to be sold en masse... It cannot be ruled out that FlexPai is a real device (see photo below), but molded on a quick fix as a PR stunt. In order to loudly declare yourself, get the title of technology leader and then sell something else under your own brand. For example, noticeably simpler and cheaper smartphones in a regular form factor.
Google thinks bendability is future of android, and all major OEMs are already preparing the first devices in the new form factor. It is already clear that this will become the hottest trend of 2019. Folding mobile phones combine compactness when folded and functionality when opened due to a large display.
Development Huawei looks perhaps the most promising. The smartphone claims to support , the diagonal of the front screen is 5 inches (no notch, it will house the system), the main frameless display is 8 inches. Huawei CEO Ken Hu says the smartphone is so powerful that it can “replace PCs.”
The gadget is expected to be presented at the Mobile exhibition World Congress 2019 in spanish city Barcelona.
Samsung Galaxy F (or Galaxy Fold)
About the technologies underlying the upcoming foldable product, Samsung I told you this back in early November. In the Galaxy F (also known as the Galaxy X), the company uses an Infinity Flex display with a resolution of 2152x1536. When opened, its diagonal will be 7.3 inches. From the reports of Korean analysts we can conclude that Galaxy price Fold (perhaps this will be his official name) will exceed 120 thousand rubles. The device will have a 4000-6000 mAh battery, divided into two parts. The main camera will consist of two sensors of 12 MP each.
When folded, you can interact with the smartphone through a 4.58-inch display with a resolution of 1960x480 pixels.
Samsung is in no hurry to share details about the new device. But it is already known that thanks to the new OneUI interface, it will be possible to run three applications at the same time.
The presentation will take place at MWC in February 2019. Above is a rendering of what the Galaxy F might look like without a protective case.
Royole FlexPai
The world's first foldable smartphone was released on November 1. It doesn’t look as chic as devices from Huawei and Samsung, but it was able to do the incredible - be ahead of its time and enter the market before everyone else. FlexPai has a 7.8-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920x1440. The dimensions of the device are 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches.
It has a dual camera (16+20 MP), 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
LG
Authoritative insider Ice Universe claims that another folding smartphone will be shown at MWC 2019. Maybe, we're talking about about a device, the patent for which was discovered by the Letsgodigital website, but maybe not: after all, the patent talks about two separate displays, and not about one bendable one.
It's hard to say why LG, the undisputed leader in flexible OLED technology, could choose an unremarkable design for its flagship device. Therefore, it is more logical to assume that the main trump card against Samsung and Huawei company keeps it secret.
Department intellectual property The European Union received from LG an application to register three brands: Flex, Foldi and Duplex. The latter may refer to the smartphone that Letsgodigital journalists were talking about. Flex is a curved LG G Flex 2. There is a possibility that the remaining Foldi has something to do with the bendable display.
There are rumors that LG will reveal a foldable smartphone in February at MWC, but insider Evan Blass suggests it could happen earlier, in January at international exhibition CES in Las Vegas. However, in mid-December, Blass tweeted that the likelihood of LG's foldable smartphone appearing at CES had "dropped sharply."
Motorola
Once a popular brand Motorola today belongs to the Chinese Lenovo. The company intends to revive the legendary RAZR in the form of a mobile phone with a flexible screen - at least this is hinted at by patents sent to the US Patent and Trademark Office. They were discovered by the Dutch tech blog Mobielkopen.
According to Techradar, CEO Lenovo Yang Yuanqing sees foldable display technology as key to the development of the RAZR. The company sees the future folding beds in the form of a compact device with a 6.5-inch display.
“I can say that new technologies, for example, folding screens, will bring more and more to our smartphones. innovative solutions“Mr Yuanqing told TechRadar. “What you just described (RAZR) will be implemented soon.”
ZTE
The 2017 Axon M was more of a clamshell than a foldable smartphone. The dual-screen form factor in which it is made is very reminiscent of LG's patent. But that's not all she's capable of. ZTE. In an interview, VP of Marketing Jeff Yee said the company was developing "something very bendable."
ZTE has already registered several new patents. In addition to a folding smartphone, they present the idea of a device with flexible display, capable of taking the shape of a bracelet. The patents indicate the dimensions of both devices, appearance, production cost, but what stage their development is at is unknown.
Oppo
That Oppo is working on a foldable smartphone, Mobielkopen reported. The device is a transformer based on Android based. It is expected that the first details about it will be known soon.
Data about the smartphone appeared on the website of the Chinese patent office. The document presents four design options, each of which features a additional display like Royole FlexPai. Nothing more is known about the concept.
According to AndroidWorld.nl, Oppo will talk about its development in February.
“We are aware that large brands like Samsung and Sony are working on foldable smartphones,” said the company's chief product manager Chuck Wong. – “Wait for news from Oppo, possibly at MWC.”
2020: Apple?
And finally Apple. So far, the Cupertino team has not made official statements regarding plans for the production of a folding iPhone. However, without any doubt they are looking towards new design solutions. One of the company's patents describes a hinge mechanism for electronic devices.
There is a possibility that Tim Cook and Jony Ive want to wait until Google, Samsung, Huawei and other OEMs show everything they promised. But if it happens that the new form factor is of interest to users, then due to its sluggishness, Apple will remain behind its competitors.
