TCL Showcases Samsung Galaxy Fold Rival, More At CES 2020

While most smartphone users are familiar with the likes of Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Motorola, not a lot of consumers are as familiar with TCL as those other brands. This isn't surprising, since the company primarily puts its brand name on TVs, among other devices. Now, it intends to invade a market the other aforementioned brands have long focused on: smartphones.

TCL isn't a new player in the field of smartphones. Its sub-brands – Palm, Alcatel and Blackberry – have long been in the game. Now, it has decided to combine its expertise in the area of displays and its knowledge about phones, and has unveiled a slew of new devices, which includes three smartphones, a headset, and its own foldable smartphone, TechCrunch reported.

The TCL foldable, which is still unnamed at the moment, is a promising device, SlashGear noted. It's only a concept at the moment, but even though the company only presented a “working prototype” at CES, the prototype itself shows a lot of promise and advantages compared to other foldables that are already in the market or still on their way to being released.

First, the working prototype shows that it is capable of having a useful external display (bigger and more useful than the one on the Motorola Razr and Galaxy Fold), and has an inner 7.8-inch foldable display that boasts of a “nice aspect ratio.” This display size also sits comfortably between the displays on the Razr and Galaxy Fold.

Second, the foldable has a hinge that allows the screen to fold completely, without leaving an unsightly gap unlike the one on the $2,000 Galaxy Fold. It's not as thin as the Razr, but it doesn't leave that gap also.

Third, since TCL manufactures its own display and doesn't rely on third parties for the crucial component, it will be able to lower the cost of production and, as a result, lower the selling price. This means fans can expect it to sell for cheaper than the Galaxy Fold.

These, and the fact that TCL is still finalizing the device's design, according to “chatter from within the company” (as SlashGear reported), indicate that the upcoming device might be even better than initially expected. It appears that Samsung and the others will have a new rival to beat.