Chinese start-up Royole beats Samsung to claim crown of the world’s first foldable smartphone
But reporters say the ‘bulky’ FlexPai, costing up to US$1,469, does not fold flat, makes a crunching sound when folded, and has ‘extremely sluggish’ software
Little-known Chinese technology company Royole Corp first beat South Korean giant Samsung in launching the world’s first foldable smartphone – and now early reviews suggest it actually works.
Royole showed off its FlexPai phone to journalists on Monday, with Samsung following suit with a foldable Galaxy X smartphone on Wednesday.
Reporters at the American technology network The Verge, and digital media website Mashable, were among those to get their hands on Royole’s FlexPai device at the event in San Francisco.
Both reporters confirmed that the folding technology worked – halving the size of the 7.8-inch (20-centimetre) plastic screen with one 180-degree twist.
“Yes, it feels a bit gimmicky, but the FlexPai does actually deliver on its promise of being the ‘first foldable smartphone’,” Mashable’s reporter Karissa Bell said.
However, the FlexPai is far from perfect.
The device does not fold flat and was quite difficult to hold, Bell said, adding that the plastic display lifted a little over the hinges and made a “crunching sound” while folding.
She said Royole told her the issues were “due to the adhesive used in the engineering samples.”
The Verge’s reporter Nick Statt said that when folded, the phone was “bulky” and “feels miles away in quality” from a high-end smartphone.