New tri-fold smartphone puts an 8-inch tablet in your pocket

Samsung has long been mocking Apple for not having a foldable phone, but China's TCL CSOT thinks two folds are better. At the Society for Information Display's Display Week 2024 in San Jose, California, the semiconductor display manufacturer has unveiled what it's hailing as the world's first 7.85-inch tri-foldable smartphone. 

That's quite a specific claim, but the reason is that TCL already revealed a prototype for a 10-inch model several years ago. That didn't see any uptake in the industry, but TCL sees the development of the smaller version as a major advance in foldable screen technology (I still think I'll still stick to the best iPad for drawing).

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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