TCL has shelved its plans to launch a foldable-screen phone to compete with the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. The company had planned to launch a more affordable foldable phone to counter those at the higher end of the market. While the prices of Samsung’s latest Z Flip and Z Fold phones have dropped, they are still well above standard flagship levels.
Now, TCL has confirmed that the project has been suspended because rising production costs, exacerbated by the pandemic and component shortages, would have pushed the phone out of its intended price. That’s unfortunate because the folding market is still prohibitive for those outsides of the high end right now. The mass appeal can only come through accessibility and we’re still pretty far from that.
“Although the market for folding products grows every year, it is still a premium product category,” the company told Android Central in a statement.
“Combined with the recent shortage of components, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising costs in the production of folding, TCL has made the difficult decision to suspend the launch of its first commercially available folding smartphone until the company can produce it and bring it to market at a price that can be accessed by as many consumers as possible. “
The phone was thought to be codenamed Chicago and was on the line of being one of the truly affordable foldable phones. The company even released concept designs for a phone that would have been displayed on a 6.67-inch HD AMOLED screen with a smaller 1.1-inch cover screen for notifications.
In the statement, Stefan Streit, the chief marketing officer of TCL, said the company is still “investing in flexible display technologies and is closely monitoring the market to determine the best time to launch a foldable smartphone.” It is likely to be 2022 at the earliest.
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