TCL has unveiled its clamshell smartphone that no one can buy

TCL is one of the companies that has long believed in foldable smartphones with flexible screens and has been working on its first clamshell model for a long time. Now Cnet has live photos of the device and a full list of characteristics, but for ordinary users, it no longer matters: the smartphone, codenamed Project Chicago, has been canceled. And all because of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3.

The thing is that the Galaxy Z Flip3 turned out, if not in everything, then in many ways better than Project Chicago: it has full protection against water, a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform, a large (relatively) external display with a diagonal of 1.9 inches. Even in small things like dimensions and weight, the TCL device loses to the Samsung device. But most importantly, Project Chicago was not as affordable as TCL wanted it to be. In retail, such a smartphone would have cost $ 800 - versus $ 1,000 for the Galaxy Z Flip3. This, as well as the difference in characteristics and brand awareness - the last three nails in the coffin of the "Chicago project". Nevertheless, TCL is not abandoning such a clamshell smartphone, but they are talking about the release of a truly serial model in 12-18 months. Of course, this will already be a completely different smartphone.

Nevertheless, it will not be superfluous to consider the characteristics of Project Chicago - at least to understand what components manufacturers are considering for such models. Project Chicago is equipped with two AMOLED screens. Indoor 6.67 "Full HD +, outdoor 1.1".

Hardware platform - Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, RAM and flash memory - 6 and 128 GB. The smartphone received a 3545 mAh battery with support for 18 W wired charging and 10 W wireless charging. Front camera - with a sensor with a resolution of 44 megapixels, in the main camera - sensors with a resolution of 48 (with optical stabilization) and 16 megapixels (with an ultra-wide-angle lens).

Dimensions of the model folded - 86.5 x 78.1 x 17.9 mm, unfolded - 164.8 x 78.1 x 7.35 mm. Weight - 204.5 grams.