Dual-screen, folding smartphone costs twice as much as iPhone X

This unconventional dual-screen smartphone has been set for a 2020 release with an even more surprising price tag.

Dubbed the HubblePhone by Hong Kong-based company Turing Space Industries, this device tends to be an eye-catcher from the get-go. Apart form the sleek and glossy design, the smartphone features a folding mechanism and dual-screen assembly, which the company refers to as “decks.” One of the decks also swivels off axis and allows the phone to be held like an old camcorder.

As for its recording capabilities, Turing equipped the HubblePhone with a 60-megapixel main camera. It also comes with dual variable-aperture, 12-megapixel sensors in a notch on the main deck, and another 12-megapixel shooter on the upper deck notch, according to a statement.

These cameras serve another purpose aside from capturing moments. A lip-reading system will be implemented, which will let the smartphone respond to lipped commands on top of vocal ones. The statement highlighted the added privacy the feature could provide users.

Turing planned to center the internal hardware of  their device around two Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processors, which will be installed on each deck. With a surplus in processing power, the company also incorporated artificial intelligence functions into the device. The next-generation processors promised 5G wireless compatibility and enhanced gaming experience.

Given the premium look and even more premium computing hardware, it may not come as big a shock to know that Turing listed a price tag of $2,749 (around P145,000) for its unorthodox device. The company estimated shipments to start by June 2020 beginning with the United States, and have the HubblePhone available globally by December 2020.

As a point of reference, the iPhone X cost $999 (about P52,900) when it first came out in November 2017. At the time it already had people scratching their heads and checking their wallets. The HubblePhone’s price tag may inspire even more animated reactions.

At the end of the day, the premium device promised a premium concept and high-end technology. Whether it will earn Turing a pretty penny may depend on how much consumers are willing to spend for a new gadget.  /ra

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