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The curious case of cheap foldable phones from Pablo Escobar’s brother

Company founded by sibling of late Colombian drug lord says it’s sourcing cheap from China and selling cheap worldwide, but some customers are getting skeptical

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Escobar Inc. says the initial production of its second foldable phone, which it calls “the real Samsung killer,” is limited to 200,000 units. (Picture: Escobar Inc.)
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

When you hear the name Escobar, you probably think of narcotics, not smartphones. Now a brand bearing that name wants to appear alongside the likes of Huawei and Samsung.

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Late last year, Escobar Inc. announced it was getting into the smartphone business. The company was founded by Roberto Escobar to license the family name made famous by his late drug-trafficking brother Pablo.

The company’s first device? A US$350 foldable phone called the Escobar Fold 1.

The Escobar Fold 1. (Picture: Escobar Inc.)
The Escobar Fold 1. (Picture: Escobar Inc.)
For those who aren’t familiar, handsets with bendy screens are a relative novelty -- and an expensive one at that. Samsung, despite having teased the idea some seven years ago, just released their first foldable smartphone in September -- and only after an embarrassing delay due to faulty review units. Huawei’s foldable Mate X, first unveiled in February 2019, went on sale in China less than three months ago.
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This cutting-edge technology doesn’t come cheap. Both models are selling for over US$1,900.

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