Foldable Phones And 5G Laptops: 10 Hot Devices From CES 2020

Major PC and smartphone vendors unveiled devices that offer the flexibility of folding into different modes and high-speed connectivity on the go.

Ultimate Flexibility

Following the debut of Samsung's Galaxy Fold last fall—and the expansion of high-speed 5G coverage this year—CES 2020 was widely expected to include a focus on foldable and 5G-supporting devices. The show delivered: Many of the biggest PC and smartphone vendors unveiled either foldable devices, 5G devices, or both at the Las Vegas gadget extravaganza. There were foldable phones and 5G smartphones on display at CES, as well as newly announced foldable laptops and 5G laptops. That offered a clear indication of where device makers such as Lenovo, Dell and HP Inc. are focused this year—on devices that offer ultimate flexibility, whether that's in usability in different modes or with speedy connectivity in any location.

What follows is our roundup of 10 hot smartphones and laptops from CES 2020 that offer 5G connectivity, foldable/dual displays, or both.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

Lenovo made a splash at CES with its ThinkPad X1 Fold, which is poised to become the first foldable PC when it launches this year. The X1 Fold will also offer an option for high-speed 5G connectivity, potentially making it one of the first 5G laptops as well.

The device offers a 13.3-inch OLED display that can be used in multiple modes—and, helpfully, includes a Bluetooth keyboard that can magnetically attach to the lower screen for use in a standard notebook fashion. The keyboard is also stored and charged inside the device when closed.

When opened fully in a tablet orientation, the X1 Fold offers a 13.3-inch OLED display with resolution of 2,048 x 1,536. The device includes a built-in kickstand for standing the device up while fully opened. When partially folded to sit in a laptop orientation, the ThinkPad X1 Fold can serve as a dual-display device with a number of options for multitasking across the two screens. While the device will initially run a standard version of Windows 10, it will be offered with Windows 10X—which is optimized for dual-display devices—at a later date, Lenovo said. The X1 Fold will be powered by an Intel Core processor, and will be highly portable with a weight of just 2.2 pounds.

Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold is planned for release in mid-2020. The starting price is expected to be $2,499. The pricing includes the Mini Fold Keyboard and Active Pen stylus.​

Dell Concept Ori

While Lenovo appears to be ahead among the largest PC makers when it comes to commercializing foldable display technology, Dell Technologies suggested it's looking to not fall far behind. At CES 2020, Dell demonstrated during its showcase that it, too, has been investing in developing foldable form factor devices. Dell showed what it has called the Concept Ori, which offers a 13.3-inch foldable OLED display with QHD+ resolution. The Concept Ori display had no evident seams between the folded sides—and like Lenovo's X1 Fold, it can connect to a Bluetooth keyboard. As a conceptual prototype, the Concept Ori itself is not planned for release—though we'd be surprised if the technology didn't find its way into a commercially available device in the future.

Motorola Razr Foldable

While the reboot of the famous Motorola Razr with a foldable screen was announced a couple of months before CES, the showcases at CES were the first time that many people got a chance to see the device in person. The new Razr is unlike the other foldable smartphones we've seen before—and instead is a lot more like the original Razr flip phone, in that it folds top to bottom. Along with running Android and having a sizable 6.2-inch OLED display, the big difference with the new Razr is that it includes an interactive "Quick View" display on the cover when the device is closed. The 2.7-inch screen, which is also OLED, can be used to check notifications—and, helpfully, the view on the external displays switches the main display when the phone is unfolded. Motorola has announced pricing of $1,499, and a release date of this month, for the Razr foldable.

TCL 5G And Foldable Phones

Smartphone maker TCL showcased 5G-enabled and foldable smartphones at CES 2020—although both capabilities won't be in the same phone. The TCL 10 5G (pictured) will be the company's first smartphone to support 5G connectivity when it debuts "later this year." The device will offer four rear cameras and will use a midrange 5G-supporting processor to help keep its price down—Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G chip. Even more tantalizing—but not quite as ready for market—is TCL's foldable phone, which reportedly will have a lower price tag than other foldables that have been unveiled so far (including Motorola's Razr foldable). While just a prototype so far, the TCL foldable has a design akin to the Galaxy Fold, with the device opening up to offer a 7.2-inch tablet-like display.

Dell Concept Duet

Dell Technologies had a second conceptual device to show off at CES 2020, along similar lines to the Concept Ori. While not a foldable in the same sense, the Concept Duet still offers a multi-screen experience and represents a novel form factor for Dell. The Concept Duet offers a similar form factor to a notebook, but with the difference that both of the surfaces are touch-screen displays. The two 13.4-inch displays can be used separately—such as for doing a conference call on the top display and viewing a presentation on the lower display—or can also be used together with a single piece of content running from one display onto the next. While just a prototype at this point, we think the Concept Duet shows Dell's aptitude and intention for jumping into the dual-screen market before long.

Intel Horseshoe Bend Concept PC

With Intel’s Project Athena program, the chipmaker is finding new ways to advance its technology for the mobile PC space, and those ambitions were on display in multiple ways at CES 2020. First, the company said it plans to deliver a new specification for dual-screen PCs as part of Project Athena. This means OEM and ODM partners will be able to co-engineer new dual-screen PCs with Intel that provide a certain level of experience and performance. (The company pointed to the new dual-screen PCs it has co-engineered with Lenovo and Dell: Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold and Dell's Concept Duet.) Last, the chipmaker showed off its own concept PC, a device code-named Horseshoe Bend (pictured) that comes with a foldable OLED display and runs on Intel’s upcoming Tiger Lake mobile processors. The Horseshoe Bend is similar to the size of a 12-inch laptop, but its folding touch-screen display can open to a span of more than 17 inches.

Lenovo Flex 5G

At CES 2020, the most prominent 5G PC to be unveiled was Lenovo's Flex 5G, which is poised to become the first PC to include 5G support as a default capability. With the inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx platform, which includes a 5G modem, the notebook is "designed around 5G," said Christian Teismann, senior vice president for worldwide commercial business at Lenovo. That has included ensuring strong battery life for the Flex 5G—up to 24 hours on a charge—even with the high-speed mobile connectivity, he said.

The Snapdragon 8cx platform includes a 5G chipset (the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 Modem-RF System) paired with the octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 495 CPU for speedy performance on the go. The Flex 5G will sport a 14-inch FHD convertible display with 300 nits of brightness, and will offer solid portability with a weight of 2.86 pounds and a thickness of 0.58 of an inch.

Lenovo's Flex 5G will have a starting price of $1,499, and it's planned for release at an undisclosed date in the spring.

Dell Latitude 9510

Along with offering its vision for dual-display and foldable devices, Dell unveiled a brand-new series of business notebooks at CES 2020—the Latitude 9000 series—which seeks to push the business computing category in a helpful new direction with capabilities including optional 5G. The first offering will be the Latitude 9510 notebook, available as a 2-in-1 or a clamshell model. The notebook will include a 15-inch display with FHD resolution and slim bezels around the InfinityEdge screen. On battery life, the notebook is seeking to stand out with up to 30 hours of battery life on a charge.​ The Latitude 9510 will offer advanced connectivity, Dell said, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and high-speed 5G mobile broadband as an option. Dell is also emphasizing the use of artificial intelligence with the Latitude 9510; key AI-powered features include ExpressResponse, which assesses user preferences and taps machine learning (with Intel Adaptix technology) to more quickly launch frequently used applications while also boosting application performance overall.​

Dell has not yet released the starting price for the Latitude 9510. Both the 2-in-1 and clamshell versions of the notebook will be available March 26.

HP Elite Dragonfly G2

At CES, HP Inc. shared its own vision for evolving the business laptop segment, with the unveiling of its first notebook that will offer optional 5G—the Elite Dragonfly G2. Like the initial version of the Elite Dragonfly from this fall, the second-generation convertible will continue to feature a 13.3-inch display with FHD or UHD/4K resolution—but adds an option to include HP's new Sure View Reflect integrated privacy screen, which offers enhanced privacy. The notebook is expected to be one of the first laptops to support high-speed 5G connectivity, with an option for including the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem. Another unique addition is that Tile tracking technology is coming as a built-in feature to laptops for the first time with the Elite Dragonfly G2—making it easier to track down the location of a lost notebook. On performance, the laptop will move up to Intel's latest processors, with 10th-generation Intel Core processors available, offering up to six cores.

The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 will be available "later in the summer," HP said. The company didn't disclose pricing details.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Not to be forgotten is that this was the first CES for the device that started it all in foldables—Samsung's Galaxy Fold. The device was the industry's first mainstream foldable smartphone when it arrived in North America in September, and CES 2020 was the first chance for many non-early adopters to have a look up close. When opened, the Galaxy Fold offers 7.3 inches of display space, using Samsung's Infinity Flex Display technology. When closed, the Galaxy Fold has a 4.6-inch display on its top cover, which can be used to access apps as normal. The foldable display makes use of a sophisticated hinge system that allows users to open and close the Galaxy Fold smoothly. The Samsung Galaxy Fold is priced at $1,980.