CHICAGO, Sept 30 — Despite Motorola failing to launch a folding smartphone — a device expected to be reminiscent of its highly-popular Razr of the early 2000s — with a flexible display this summer as rumours had suggested earlier this year, an inside source told CNET that the company’s first foldable phone will, in fact, be unveiled this year.
This past weekend, a source familiar with Motorola’s plans told CNET that the company will likely announce its first phone with a folding display by the end of 2019. Though the date at which it is expected to go on sale has yet to be disclosed by the company or any media sources, Motorola will purportedly be showing off the device that will put them in the folding display smartphone race with Samsung and Huawei this year.
Late last week, the Galaxy Fold officially went on sale in the US while Huawei continues to delay the launch of its Mate X, which was first shown off at Mobile World Congress in February. While smaller handset manufacturers have launched their own renditions of the modern folding smartphone, Samsung’s version will be the one to beat on the market, and Motorola plans to do that by giving its version a retro flair.
In April, Slashleaks published an image taken (and later removed) from the Chinese social media platform Weibo of what appears to be a promotional image of an open Razr with a display spanning from the top clam shell to the bottom one, effectively replacing the number pad. This image supported a report by the Wall Street Journal published in January stating that Motorola had plans to revive the iconic model that took the early 2000s by storm but with a 2019 twist.
Though Motorola has not yet commented on the reveal of such a device, the launch could potentially be in the works. — AFP-Relaxnews
