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CES reminds us that foldable screens aren’t going away
From Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold to a TCL foldable phone prototype, it looks like flexible screens might take off in 2020
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
In 2019 we saw the first wave of consumer devices with flexible displays, including Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X. But if you, like many skeptics, are still unconvinced that flexible screens are what the future needs, maybe gadget makers at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show can sway you.
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Lenovo says the bendable PC it showed off last year will finally hit shelves in mid-2020, starting at US$2,499. The ThinkPad X1 Fold unfurls into a 13.3-inch tablet or folds halfway into a mini laptop. To type, you can either bring up the virtual keyboard or snap on a physical Bluetooth keyboard.
Meanwhile, Chinese TV manufacturing behemoth TCL debuted a smartphone line under its own brand name that includes a foldable prototype. Just like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the flexible display bends inward, but there’s no screen on the outside.
Beyond the show floor in Las Vegas, Samsung is teasing new “innovative devices” for its event next month in San Francisco. It’s widely expected to include a new foldable phone that bends like Motorola’s clamshell Razr.
Even with all the talk of foldable devices being a fleeting gimmick, could bendable screens actually take off in 2020? Industry analysts are optimistic in the long run.
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“I tend to think the skepticism was about the price, durability and uses cases at this point,” said Kiranjeet Kaur, senior research manager at IDC.
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