bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kevin Kwong

Samsung has just announced a new smartphone that folds like a pocket book, but this particular “form factor” – or physical look and build – is far from new.
Here are some older foldable phones that predate Samsung’s reveal.
Nokia 9000 Communicator
Finnish company Nokia released the 9000, its first “Communicator” phone, in 1996.

A “smartphone” well before the term was even coined, it features a QWERTY keyboard that folds into the phone like a flap and runs on its own operation system.
Kyocera Echo
Asian phone users may not be familiar with the dual-screen Kyocera Echo as it was released exclusively by the US mobile service provider Sprint in 2011.

It runs on Android (remember Froyo, version 2.2?) and has very clunky mechanics: the screens, connected by a hinge, stack on top of one another when closed. But this very special form factor also makes this model a collector’s gem.
Sony Tablet P
OK so this isn’t technically a phone but it did come with a sim card and 3G capabilities so you could make calls on Skype or other online phone services, and it could send and receive text messages.

The device featured two 5.5-inch interoperating displays that were also touch screen. The large hinge that split them, however, made using the two screens as a single display difficult and was one of the main reasons the Tablet P found little success.
ZTE Axon M
While its folding mechanics are definitely more slick than the Kyocrea Echo, the dual-screen ZTE Axon M, when opened, looks like two black slabs stuck together – not at all appealing aesthetically.

Released last year, the phone runs on Android 7 and hasn’t really caught on with tech geeks, let alone the general public.
Royole FlexPai
Beating the Samsung announcement by a week, display makers Royole unveiled a foldable Android phone with a 7.8-inch screen and no visible hinge.

Though it doesn’t look as polished as the handset showcased by Samsung this week, the FlexPai still looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Royole said it would start filling orders in late December.


Middle East crisis, global memory crunch dim AI smartphone buzz at MWC 2026

‘Craving something real’: why people are going analogue and cutting digital use

Will Apple’s budget-priced iPhone 17e make a splash in China’s tough smartphone market?

South Korea to finally get fully functioning Google Maps

Smartphones

These foldable phones all beat Samsung’s Infinity Flex to the punch

Product shot of the Royole foldable phone (2018)

Product shot of Kyocera Echo

Product shot of the Nokia 9000 Communicator

Sony Tablet P

Justin Denison, senior vice-president and general manager for Samsung Electronics America, revealing the company’s new phone with a foldable screen at the Samsung Developers Conference in San Francisco on November 7. Photo: Bloomberg

ZTE Axon M review: foldable, dual-screen smartphone good for multitasking, but extended view is let down by bulky hinge

The new ZTE Axon M smartphone in “extend” mode, its two screens functioning as one. Photo: Bin Sin

Image shows the ZTE Axon M phone. [DIGITAL REVIEW FEBRUARY 2018]

Image shows pictures taken by the ZTE Axon M phone. [DIGITAL REVIEW FEBRUARY 2018]

Lifestyle

Gadgets

Despite the hype over Samsung’s recent announcement, folding phones with innovative screens are nothing new
Some have even become collector’s items


Despite the hype over Samsung’s recent announcement, folding phones with innovative screens are nothing new and some have even become collector’s items.


Samsung Electronics

These foldable phones all beat Samsung’s Infinity Flex to the punch

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Despite the hype over Samsung’s recent announcement, folding phones with innovative screens are nothing new Some have even become collector’s items

Nokia 9000 Communicator

Kyocera Echo

Despite the hype over Samsung’s recent announcement, folding phones with innovative screens are nothing new

Some have even become collector’s items