TCL allegedly has concept phone with slide-out flexible display, renders here

The major smartphones we’ve seen thus far that use flexible display technology have all folded. The Samsung Galaxy Fold, Motorola Razr, Royole Flexpai, and more all have a hinge that allows the display to bend. Allegedly, a TCL slide-out phone might be the first to do things differently.

According to an anonymous source speaking with CNET, TCL planned to show off a concept phone at Mobile World Congress 2020. This device — which we’re going to refer to as the TCL Slide just because it fits pretty well — is sized like a normal smartphone in its closed state. However, when you pull the device open in the same fashion you would a telescope, it becomes more like a tablet.

Check out the renders below to get a better idea of what it looks like:

The smartphone-sized design of the TCL Slide looks very much like the TCL 10 Pro, which leads us to believe this phone likely exists as a concept only, at least for now.

Even though the images give us a clear view of the phone from all angles, we’re still not quite sure how it works. If it slides out into a tablet, that must mean it is one continuous display from one side to the other. How does this display “roll-up” inside the phone when it’s closed? It’s hard to tell, but the phone is likely a bit thicker than a usual smartphone to accommodate the extra space needed to house the display.

Related: TCL’s rollable concept phone is magical

The display is also almost certainly made of plastic, as it would need to be quite flexible to slide back and forth in such a tight space. This would likely mean the TCL Slide would have the same durability issues we’ve seen on other foldables as of yet.

Hopefully, with MWC 2020 getting canceled, TCL will show off this device at a later date. In the meantime, what do you think? Is this more or less exciting than the foldables we’ve seen so far? Sound off in the comments below.