Tecno Unveils A Tri-Fold Prototype Phone With 10-Inch Screen

When foldable phones first launched five years ago, there were detractors who found their fragility and thickness unacceptable. Both issues have been addressed and fixed. Today’s top foldable phones are only a hair thicker than a conventional phone, and they are almost as durable, as can be seen in a half dozen high-profile “torture tests” conducted by media outlets in recent years — plus I have anecdotal evidence from years of using and accidentally dropping several foldable phones.

The point I’m making is that foldable phones technology has matured, and now comes the next major step forward: Tecno has unveiled a prototype tri-fold phone — a single 10-inch screen that folds at two points (like a Z shape) into a compact phone shape.

The keyword here is “prototype,” as this device, named the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2, is not ready for release. But knowing how fast Chinese brands work, I wouldn’t be surprised if this hits the market within a year. And in fact, there are rumors that Huawei will launch a tri-fold phone of its own very soon — though Huawei’s device is still completely under wraps save for a few leaks.

Tecno’s prototype tri-fold, according to press materials released by Tecno, measure just 11mm in folded form. This is very impressive considering the device is stacking three layers of screens.

One of the more interested use cases for a tri-fold phone, other than having a larger full screen when fully extended, is that the user can manipulate the hinge angle to prop the phone in unique positions. For example, provided the hinge is sturdy enough and the software is optimized, we can use a tri-fold phone like a laptop (as can be seen in the main photo at the top) or in a dual-screen machine with displays facing both directions.

Tecno’s press materials claim the hinge is rigid enough to stay in place at any angle (like most modern foldable phones) and that the device also supports stylus.

But of course, seeing as this is just a prototype that has not been shown off to the public yet, we must take everything with a grain of salt. Although I have tested Tecno’s two previous foldables and came away impressed with the hardware.

The good news for those of us excited by this is that Huawei’s tri-fold phone has already been spotted in public a few times (used by Huawei employees), so we are not that far off from seeing a real-life tri-fold phone in the world.