TECNO unveils innovative triple-folding phone that is thinner than Galaxy Z Fold 6
What you need to know
- TECNO presents a new tri-fold phone concept that measures 11mm when folded.
- The phone has a 6.48-inch display when folded, which unfolds into a 10-inch 3K OLED panel and can be arranged in a variety of ways.
- TECNO is also preparing to launch two new foldable phones soon, the Phantom V Fold 2 and the V Flip 2.
TECNO is no stranger when it comes to interesting concept devices, some of which it unveiled at MWC 2024 earlier this year. Now, after unveiling the Phantom Ultimate rollable phone concept, the company is following up with the Phantom Ultimate 2, a new tri-fold phone with an impressive and versatile design.
Although we’ve seen tri-fold concepts before, TECNO has made some pretty impressive engineering advances, designing a device that’s just 11mm thick when folded. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm thick when its two halves are folded. The thickest part is the section that houses the triple camera system, which also houses the charging port and what looks like a speaker hole.
To achieve this thinness, TECNO uses a new hinge design that allows foldable phones to be less than 9mm thick. The company also uses “the smartphone industry’s thinnest battery cover,” which measures just 0.25mm and is made of “super-compressed Titanium Advanced Fiber material.”
Picture 1 from 2
When closed, the main display measures 6.48 inches. When opened, the phone features a narrow bezel and a 10-inch 3K OLED panel with a 4:3 aspect ratio. When unfolded, the TECNO Phantom Ultimate 2 looks like an Android tablet, but has significantly smaller bezels. However, instead of being able to simply unfold it completely, TECNO has implemented various folding angles to make the device more versatile.
In one example, the Ultimate 2 is shown standing up, with 1/3 of the phone lying flat on a table and the user typing on it like a regular laptop keyboard. It’s a shape aimed at productivity and kind of reminds me of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i with a keyboard at the bottom. Another example shows the bottom part folded back in a shape that seems to be meant for viewing media. A third shape shows the phone folded in a tent-like mode, which TECNO says is ideal for scenarios like live translation on two screens, a feature we’re seeing more foldable phones adopt.
TECNO has also optimized the software to make the most of the form factor. This means that the wallpapers adjust depending on how you fold or unfold the phone and users can take advantage of multitasking with multiple panels.
Picture 1 from 2
To support all these different folding scenarios, TECNO says both hinges have been tested for up to 300,000 folds and have a strength of 2100 MPa.
Unfortunately, this is a concept device, so TECNO didn’t reveal any other specifications like chipset, battery capacity, camera resolutions, and more in its press release. It’s also unclear if and when TECNO plans to actually launch the product or something similar. Of course, something like this wouldn’t be cheap to produce, and TECNO prides itself on creating impressive devices at more affordable prices.
Speaking of which, the company is also gearing up to launch its foldable devices, Phantom V Fold 2 and Phantom V Flip 2. TECNO hasn’t given a launch date yet, but says the release is “planned soon.” If they’re anything like the previous models, we expect great designs and prices that will undercut much of the competition, especially Samsung.
