ZTE is not done with its foldable smartphone dream

ZTE‘s dual-screen Axon M might not have won awards in 2017, but it was a valiant effort at something different. That effort does not appear to be a one-off attempt, as ZTE vice president of marketing Jeff Yee confirmed there is more in store from ZTE.

Sitting down with Engadget, Yee shared that one of the more frequent comments he reads regarding the Axon M is the elimination of the bezel in the middle. As a quick refresher, the Axon M is not a truly foldable smartphone — it features hinges at the middle that brings the two displays together. When the displays meet, there is bezel in the middle that prevent content from appearing seamless.

Yee said that future entries in ZTE’s foldable series of devices will “move away from dual screens” and “eventually get to something that is truly bendable.” If that sounds familiar, that is because Samsung is rumored to be working on flexible devices of its own.

Yee did not say when we would see a ZTE device with a single foldable screen, though implementing such technology would allow for larger displays. Implementing that technology would also presumably be difficult, seeing how foldable screens need to withstand the mechanical stress caused by constant folding and unfolding.

That being said, it is clear that ZTE does not consider the Axon M some sort of novelty device and, instead, looks at is as the start of something interesting in smartphone design. That being said, there is plenty that the company can improve upon for the Axon M sequel, such as greater performance and a more polished software experience.

Did you skip the Axon M due to some of its shortcomings? What do you think ZTE could improve with the Axon M follow-up? Let us know in the comments below!