Forget about the Galaxy Z Fold 7! This tri-folding prototype blows it out of the water!
One brand from the Far East showcased a phone that's just 3.49 mm thick!
As the ongoing battle for the thinnest foldable phone rages on, a Chinese brand has made its bid with an amazing prototype.
While Honor and Samsung bicker about which phone is thinner, the Magic V5 or the Galaxy Z Fold 7, TECNO has just unveiled a tri-folding prototype called PHANTOM Ultimate G Fold, and it's 3.49 mm unfolded.
For perspective, the Z Fold 7 and the Magic V5 are around 4.1-4.2 mm.
The design of the PHANTOM Ultimate is different from that of the Huawei Mate XT. TECNO's prototype is an inward-folding device, meaning there's another cover screen when the phone is completely folded.
According to TECNO, this design protects the huge 9.94-inch display much better when the phone is folded.
To achieve this, TECNO has developed a custom-engineered dual-hinge system called a "waterdrop hinge" for the first fold and a larger hinge for the part that folds on top. The portion that wraps around the first fold has a self-locking mechanism to keep the three parts folded securely in place.
TECNO is keeping the specs under wraps; all we know is that the phone features a 5000 mAh battery, probably in three separate cells.
Surprisingly, this prototype is TECNO's second attempt at the tri-fold design, and confusingly enough, the first one was called PHANTOM Ultimate 2, and it was showcased at the MWC earlier this year.
The company also showed the world's thinnest smartphone (at the time) at the same event—the TECNO Spark Slim, measuring just 5.75 mm.
The PHANTOM Ultimate G Fold is expected to show up at IFA in September, but don't get your hopes high for a mainstream model; the Spark Slim never got out of the prototype stage. It seems that our only hope now lies in Samsung and its Galaxy G Fold tri-folding phone, which may or may not be released.
The design of the PHANTOM Ultimate is different from that of the Huawei Mate XT. TECNO's prototype is an inward-folding device, meaning there's another cover screen when the phone is completely folded.
According to TECNO, this design protects the huge 9.94-inch display much better when the phone is folded.
To achieve this, TECNO has developed a custom-engineered dual-hinge system called a "waterdrop hinge" for the first fold and a larger hinge for the part that folds on top. The portion that wraps around the first fold has a self-locking mechanism to keep the three parts folded securely in place.
The TECNO PHANTOM Ultimate G Fold has a 9.94-inch main screen (that would most likely be marketed as a 10-inch display), and the crease is minimal on both folds, according to TECNO. When fully folded, the phone is just 11.49 mm thick, compared to the Mate XT, which comes in at 12.8 mm folded.
TECNO is keeping the specs under wraps; all we know is that the phone features a 5000 mAh battery, probably in three separate cells.
This is TECNO's second tri-fold
Surprisingly, this prototype is TECNO's second attempt at the tri-fold design, and confusingly enough, the first one was called PHANTOM Ultimate 2, and it was showcased at the MWC earlier this year.
The company also showed the world's thinnest smartphone (at the time) at the same event—the TECNO Spark Slim, measuring just 5.75 mm.
The PHANTOM Ultimate G Fold is expected to show up at IFA in September, but don't get your hopes high for a mainstream model; the Spark Slim never got out of the prototype stage. It seems that our only hope now lies in Samsung and its Galaxy G Fold tri-folding phone, which may or may not be released.
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