CES 2020 is taking place this week and TCL has got a working prototype of its foldable phone in residence at the show. And, after seeing the reaction it has caused, it is easy to see why if it does come to market this year, as it could very well do, it could be a very big deal indeed.
That's because TCL has garnered a reputation of bringing premium-level technology to the mass-market at much cheaper price points than its competitors. For example, the TCL 10 5G phone, which is also on display at CES 2020, rings in for less than $500. That is far cheaper than 5G phones from many of its top-tier competitors.
As such, a very much working foldable phone at CES 2020 from TCL, along with comments that it will be cheaper than the delayed, $1,500, rebooted Motorola Razr folding phone, and it is easy to see why this is a big deal for phone lovers.
It's a big deal as, even though the working TCL folding phone prototype is not ready for mass production, and if it is launched then it will be done so later this year, just by existing it will put plenty of pressure on big players like Samsung and Huawei, as well as new folding competitors like Motorola and others, to produce folding phones that don't cost incredible amounts of money.
The specs, for example, on the delayed Motorola Razr are firmly mid-range, so the fact that the phone costs $1,500 is obviously a big barrier that needs to be overcome by any potential buyer. Do you pay massive bucks for the foldable form factor, or do you get a non-folding phone with much, much better specs for less?
A TCL foldable phone that costs even two-thirds what the Motorola Razr does would make that decision a lot easier for many, thereby speeding up the adoption of folding phones.
The working prototype itself currently delivers a square 7.2-inch display, a quad-camera system, a mid-tier Snapdragon 660 processor and it runs Android 9.0 Pie. So it certainly isn't a technical powerhouse, but it does deliver a folding phone experience and, with some refinements, would no doubt be attractive to many users who want folding tech but at a reasonable price.
No official pricing or release date has been announced for the phone naturally, although right now a late 2020 time frame is being slated.
If you want the best folding phone on the market today, though, then you need the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Why not read T3's official Samsung Galaxy Fold review to see what it delivers.
