Lenovo shows off a bendable smartphone

Samsung, ZTE and others racing to be the first to release a handset with a flexible display

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This prototype also seems to be bent and wore like a wearable, no? (Picture:Weibo)

Published: 7:54pm, 27 Sep 2018Updated: 8:40am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

We’ve been hearing about bendable phones for years, but it appears that we’re finally close to seeing them emerge.

Lenovo shared a video on Weibo showing a narrow but long handset that can bend almost in half. The caption says: “We are just so terribly good. It’s time to show off. We’ll see you in October.”

The way the phone bends over, and the appearance of an activity widget when it’s bent, suggests that it might be a wearable.

It’s also worth noting that there appear to be a few dark spots along the edges of the screen, most prominently on the right side next to the blue Contacts icon. It’s unknown whether this is intentional or whether it’s just wear and tear on the prototype.

Lenovo will reportedly unveil new devices in October. But the company has a track record of overhyping products. It teased that its Z5 smartphone would have an edge-to-edge display -- but many were disappointed when it shipped with an iPhone X-style notch.

While plenty of smartphone makers race to build a handset with a flexible screen, on Weibo many questioned the utility of a foldable screen. In response to Lenovo’s video, a netizen wrote, “I wonder what is the practical use of this device?”

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Lenovo shows off a bendable smartphone

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Samsung, ZTE and others racing to be the first to release a handset with a flexible display

Samsung, ZTE and others racing to be the first to release a handset with a flexible display