Royole has just announced its second-gen foldable smartphone the FlexPai 2. As some of you remember, the FlexPai was the very first commercially-available foldable smartphone.
That device had a number of shortcomings, and Royole has tried to fix those with a second-gen device. The FlexPai 2 has been announced and it actually folds outwards, similar to the Huawei Mate X and Xs.
This smartphone was actually supposed to arrive earlier this year, but that didn’t happen. The company did share some information back in March, but the phone did not launch back then, nor in the coming months.
That is understandable considering the global health crisis. Royole waited for its chance, and has announced this device now. The phone has rather noticeable bezels around the display, especially on the left.
The Royole FlexPai 2 includes four cameras, and a new flexible OLED display
On the left side, it has a thick bezel that houses the device’s cameras. There are four cameras included there, below which you’ll notice a dual-LED flash, and Royole branding.
This new flexible OLED display allegedly offers better performance in every way. It offers reduced creasing down the seam, while the bend radius has been improved as well, claims the company.
This smartphone is fueled by the Snapdragon 865 SoC. That is one of the two flagship processors that Qualcomm is offering at the moment. The device does support 5G, by the way.
The phone comes in two variants. The base model offers 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The more expensive unit includes 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
A 7.8-inch fullHD+ (1920 x 1440) display is included on this phone, when the device is not folded. When it is folded you can take advantage of a 5.5-inch HD+ (1440 x 900) display. The third option is a 5.4-inch HD+ (1440 x 810) display with cameras next to it.
Those two smaller displays are basically the main display, but when the device is folded, that results in two smaller displays, as the phone folds outwards. Similar to what the Huawei Mate X and Xs offered.
A 64-megapixel main camera (f/1.89 aperture lens) is included here. A 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera (f/2.2 aperture lens) is also included, along with an 8-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.4 aperture lens, 3x optical zoom). The last camera that Royole opted for is a 32-megapixel portrait unit (f/2.0 aperture lens).
A touchpad is also included on the device
This handset also has a touchpad below its cameras. This was kind of a surprise that Royole presented. It can be used to wake up the display with a double-tap. You can also toggle split screen mode with it, and there are some other actions included.
A 4,450mAh battery is a part of the package as well. The phone is 12.8mm thick when folded, and 6.3mm when it’s not. Royole also mentioned that its third-gen Cicada Wing FFD (Fully Flexible Display) is quite durable, it can last for over 200,000 bends.
The phone comes in three color options, Cosmi Gray, Midnight Black, and Sunrise Gold. The device’s base model (8GB of RAM) is priced at CNY9,988 ($1,470), while the 12GB RAM variant costs CNY11,588 ($1,706) in China. The device is already available from Royole, while it is coming to JD.com on September 25. The device will probably become available in Europe as well at some point.
