So the CES Conference in Las Vegas is in full swing now. The Consumer Technology Association sponsors it. Many people are looking to many things, but I think one device will stir things up. It’s a cell phone that folds. The folding smartphone is here.
So a Chinese IT service company they call Royale took the CES stage. They revealed their FlexPai. Not only did they show it off, but they let the tech media and the public play with it for a while. However, we don’t know whether to call it a phone or tablet. That’s because it’s 7.8 inches.
But you can fold the AMOLED display in half, literally. Well, there is a small gap between the two halves. When you do fold the phone in half, it’s smaller than the average smartphone (about 3.9 inches). Yes, it does work when you do fold it. All your stuff will move to one side of the phone, apps, emails, texts, and all. It runs on Android (ha ha, Apple!) software, and has all the features you should expect from an expensive smartphone/tablet. It better. Because FlexPai’s Royale will run you an average $1,300 in the US. There are other phone makers trying to build the smartphone, like Samsung.
However, FlexPai beat them to it. Yes, the folding smartphone is here. Here comes the real question: Will it sell? Royale seems to be banking on it. Because later in this conference, they plan to show a video displaying their folding smartphone. There’s also a debate whether to go on their own or team up with others in the IT support world. If they were smart, then they would team up with other tech corporations. Most of today’s tech is controlled by three or four major tech corporations: Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft. In a world like that, you can’t afford to go at it alone. It would be foolish for Royale to do so. But the question is: Who would join them on their folding smartphone quest?