Royole, which has the distinction of announcing one of the world’s first foldable phones, is back with another bendable device. Called the FlexPai 2, the new phone also marks the debut of the new Fully Flexible Display (FFD), the 3rd Generation Cicada Wing.
The company claims that the 3rd Generation Cicada Wing FFD is a significant improvement over the last generation. The manufacturer also says that the screen will offer industry-leading performance and reliability.
The latest FFD is 50 percent brighter and also offers a wider color gamut, higher contrast, and faster response time. For an amazing viewing angle performance, the display has a JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) below 0.6 and it promises 1.5-times improved brightness decay at a 30 degrees view angle. The idea is to ensure that the screen is compatible with free form-factor applications and that no matter which angle you view the screen from, it renders colors accurately.
To further enhance the image quality, the 3rd Generation Cicada Wing FFD gets a new custom-designed driver integrated circuit chip. The new display can reach a minimum bend radius of only 1mm, which is a marked improvement, given this figure previously stood at 3mm. Royole claims that this bend radius will result in a smooth folding experience. It also says that the screen will easily survive 200,000 bends.
The screen will have a less visible crease
The display also features around 100 micro-nano materials which enhances strain recovery and layer peeling. Thanks to the proprietary ULT-NSSP technology and advanced Smart Mechanical Simulation methodology, we can look forward to a phone which will not have a visible crease running down the center of the display.
Coming to FlexPai 2, the phone will sport a 7.8-inch with an aspect ratio of 4:3. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC and it also features LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.0 storage. As you might have guessed, the handset is also 5G-ready. The smartphone also gets a quad-camera setup and stereo speakers, making it a full flagship affair.
The phone also features a new proprietary hinge which the company says has a premium build and is waterproof and robust. This means that the new device will be sturdier than the last one. It will also be thinner and lighter than last year’s FlexPai. So, on paper, the phone sounds pretty great.
The FlexPai 2 is coming next quarter
Whether the phone holds up to expectations remains to be seen. However, it will not be long before we find out, as the FlexPai 2 will be launched in Q2 2020. The original device was launched only in China, but it looks like the new model will be available in more locations.
Since the first quarter is about to end, Royole will likely announce more specifications soon. Similarly, pricing details will probably be unveiled in the near future.
FlexPai clearly failed to make its mark. Thus, it will be interesting to see if the successor will fare any better.
Royole has also entered a partnership with ZTE. Thus, we might also see a foldable phone from ZTE that utilizes the new display technology.