All the flexible, foldable devices we saw at CES 2020

While we were expecting CES to be filled with flexible display tech, we were still surprised at just how many forms these new displays took. The show floor was packed with laptops, phones, speakers, and televisions all with flexible, bendy screens. 

Still, it’s obvious that the technology is in its relatively early stages and many companies are still trying to figure out how best to utilize screens that can fold and roll. But with so many gadget makers now tinkering with the tech, it seems that our bendable-device future is all but inevitable.

Lenovo

While CES wasn’t the first time we saw Lenovo’s foldable laptop, there’s a good reason why the ThinkPad X1 Fold was one of our favorite gadgets from the show: It feels like something we’d actually want to use every day. 

With a 13.3-inch display, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is compact enough to use on the go whether it’s partially folded or fully extended. And the kickstand and keyboard accessories make the PC feel more like an iPad Pro than a traditional laptop. All that (literal) flexibility won’t come cheap though: The ThinkPad X1 Fold will be available later in 2020 for $2,499. 

Dell Ori concept

Dell showed off what could be the beginnings of a flexible laptop with its Ori concept. While not as sleek as some of the foldable products we saw, the Ori was nonetheless intriguing.

The Ori felt surprisingly solid compared with other early-stage foldable devices. You can sort of feel a slight ripple if you carefully trace your finger over the display — there isn’t an ugly crease, or a gap, or some of the other accommodations we’ve seen from certain hardware makers. Though Dell is so far making no commitments about whether it will become a real product, Dell executives told us they’re focused on reliability and durability. And that the Ori can already handle up to 15,000 folds. 

Royole Mirage

Royole was one of the first companies to debut a smartphone with a foldable screen with its FlexPai phone. At CES, the company introduced its next flexible-screen device: Mirage, an Alexa-enabled speaker with a wraparound display. 

The speaker, which was made in collaboration with audio company Cleer, has a unique, futuristic look the company is hoping will set it apart in the increasingly crowded smart speaker market. It also comes with a hefty price tag of $899. 

But its curved display does open up some interesting possibilities. Think: Custom animations that correspond with your timers or visualizations that dance around with music playback. It’s not yet clear exactly how that would come together, but Royole CEO Bill Liu told Mashable he wants developers to come up with ways to take advantage of the speaker’s curved screen.

Intel Horseshoe Bend

Unlike Lenovo, Intel opted to make its foldable PC concept more like a full-sized laptop. The Horseshoe Bend can alternate between a 12-inch laptop and a downright huge 17.3-inch tablet. Thankfully, that extra screen comes with thinner bezels than either the ThinkPad X1 Fold or Dell’s Ori concept.

The Horseshoe Bend also comes with a separate keyboard that can slip inside the device when it’s folded up. 

As with so many other foldable prototypes, Intel’s bendy laptop is just a concept, with no guarantee it will ever amount to anything more than a flashy CES demo. But even if we never see it in its current form, Intel’s investment in the tech will no doubt inspire other PC-makers to follow suit.  

TCL 

Unlike some other smartphone makers, TCL seems to be content for now with showing off foldable phone concepts, rather than market-ready devices. The Chinese electronics company gave us our latest taste of this at CES with its second foldable phone concept in a year.

But this latest phone looked much different than the questionable design we saw last year. Instead of a big ugly hinge, the latest (so far unnamed) concept looks like a phone people might want to actually buy. It has a slightly iridescent green design along with four rear cameras. Unfolded, it has a 7.3-inch display with only a slight crease. 

As with other foldable phones, the software seemed a bit buggy, which isn’t a huge surprise considering most developers still don’t support foldable devices. And even though it looks like a more finished product, TCL has made it clear it’s not in any rush to get a flexible screen on the market just yet.

LG Display 

When it comes to bendable screens, LG has a significant head start over its competitors. At CES, the company clearly went out of its way to show off just how far ahead it is with several concepts. Of the many demos we saw from LG, our favorites were its bendable OLED prototypes which enable televisions to bend on command. 

It sounds a little gimmicky, but it looks incredibly cool. And there could be some practical reasons for the design. Gamers, for example, may want to take advantage of the extra visibility of a curved set, but also have a regular flat panel when they aren’t gaming. 

We also saw concepts for televisions that roll down from the ceiling projector screen-style, smart speakers, and a laptop (LG Display supplied screen tech for Lenovo’s aforementioned ThinkPad). 

Like many other companies, these were all just concept devices, but there will be a rollable TV sooner than you think. Elsewhere, the consumer electronics arm of LG was again showing off its roll-up TV, the LG Signature OLED TV R, which is expected to go on sale later this year. 

Motorola Razr

Motorola may have recently announced that it was delaying the launch of its much anticipated revival of the Razr, but that didn’t stop the company from showing it off during CES. 

And the Razr is unique among its foldable phone brethren in that it folds vertically, flip phone-style, rather than horizontally like a book. Besides the nostalgia factor, this could also help with one-handed use. While other foldable phones can feel unwieldy when fully unfolded, the new Razr remains a one-handed phone.