While Samsung is struggling to make ultra-thin foldable phones similar to some of its competitors from China, we’ve seen proof that some companies are already developing tri-fold foldable smartphones. Huawei and Xiaomi are already rumored to unveil such foldables in the near future, with the former’s device having already appeared in leaked images.
But we don’t have to wait that long to see a tri-fold ultra-thin foldable concept in action. Tecno unveiled the Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone on Wednesday. When folded, the device is just 11mm thin or thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 (12.1mm). Moreover, the Phantom Ultimate 2 becomes a 10-inch tablet when unfolded.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy this device yet, not because it’s coming from a Chinese smartphone vendor that might not operate in your market. The Phantom Ultimate 2 is a concept device. It won’t be available in any market in the near future.
The point of the Phantom Ultimate 2 is to prove to the world that Tecno can deliver more sophisticated smartphones than what’s currently available from better-known vendors.
Development rumors aside, no other smartphone maker has launched a triple-foldable phone. While most of them have yet to demonstrate concepts, I’ll say that Samsung has been developing screens that would fit tri-fold devices for some time.
Back to the Phantom Ultimate 2, the phone features a 6.48-inch display when it’s folded. Unfold it, and the device becomes a 10-inch tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The tablet features a 3K OLED Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI) display, which Tecno says is a first for foldable phones.
Also, the screen is of the LTPO variety, which implies it’ll support dynamic refresh rates between 1Hz and 120Hz. That’s just speculation at this point, as Tecno has not revealed all the specs.
The Phantom Ultimate 2 also features a “state-of-the-art” hinge design. The dual-hinge mechanism supports 2100Mpa strength and can last for over 300,000 folds. The hinge supposedly minimizes the visibility of two creases when the phone is unfolded.
Furthermore, Techno points out the tri-fold handset features the smartphone industry’s “thinnest battery cover,” which measures just 0.25mm. A “super compressed Titan Advanced Fiber material” makes such thin batteries possible.
The press release mentions that the thinnest battery in use right now measures 0.45mm. I assume that type of battery is available for Honor’s ultra-thin foldables, like the newly unveiled Magic V3.
Finally, the tri-fold Techno handset features a camera design that supposedly improves the phone’s thinness and lightness without impacting image quality. Again, this is just a concept phone. Therefore, we must trust Tecno’s claims until such devices become commercially available.
However, I’ll say that the prospect of folding a 10-inch tablet into a tri-fold phone is exciting. The tablet form factor would be even more useful than what’s available from current Fold-type devices, like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Tecno has imagined additional ways of taking advantage of the dual-hinge folding mechanism when unfolding a tri-fold phone. For example, you might use the Phantom Ultimate 2 as a laptop by turning one area of the screen into a keyboard.
A tent mode would allow the user to share a third of the screen with another person for applications involving shared content, like translation apps.
It’s unclear when a version of the Phantom Ultimate 2 will become commercially available or how much it’ll cost. I’ll remind you that phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold cost almost $2,000 before any deals and discounts are applied.
