Royole's next foldable phone to feature a ‘wearproof’ hinge, tougher screen

The phone will support nine different 5G bands – covering the U.S., Europe, as well as China.

What you need to know

• Royole today unveiled its second foldable phone, called the FlexPai 2.
• The upcoming device will use a 3rd generation Cicada Wing Fully Flexible Display panel, which boasts an improved 1mm bend radius and higher peak brightness.
• It will also feature a Snapdragon 865 processor and faster LPDDR5 RAM.

At CES 2019, Chinese smartphone maker Royole showcased the world's first foldable phone, the FlexPai. The company today unveiled its second foldable phone, featuring a third-generation Cicada Wing FFD (Fully Flexible Display) and a significantly more durable hinge.

The Royole FlexPai 2, which is expected to be launched sometime in the second quarter of the year, will come with a 7.8-inch screen with an identical 4:3 aspect ratio as its predecessor. Under the hood, the FlexPai 2 will have a Snapdragon 865 chipset with an X55 5G modem, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.0 storage.

The biggest highlight of the upcoming foldable phone will be its third-generation Cicada Wing FFD panel, which Royole says has an improved bend radius of just 1mm and can last over 200,000 bends. In addition to being more durable, the panel boasts improved brightness, color gamut, as well as viewing angles. While the FlexPai 2 will be the first phone to use the panel, Royole says it could be used by ZTE and a few other smartphone makers in the future.

Royole FlexPai 2 will also have a proprietary "super seamless & stepless hinge" along the back of the phone, made using aircraft-grade materials. Thanks to an anti-shock structure, Royole says the hinge provides better screen protection.

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