Mobile

Lack of innovation: QWERTY slider phones might make a comeback

A high-end QWERTY smartphone is in the making by a new company called F(x) Technology. The company plans to launch the phone in the first half of 2019.

Previously Motorolla had planned to release a similar slider phone with a QWERTY keyboard but the company Livermorium that was supposed to provide the ‘slider keyboard moto mod’ for the smartphone failed to do so. However, F(x) Technology has successfully handled that problem and leaks suggest that the company is well on its way to launch this phone. Previously they had scheduled its release in Q4 2018 however due to some technical issue the launch is now scheduled for Q1 2019.

Specifications

According to the leaks, the phone will feature a 6-inch AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio along with Samsung-like curved edges, meaning the phone will not sport a notch and will have minimum bezels. As far as the keyboard is concerned, the phone will feature a back-lit keyboard which will have dedicated ‘numbers row’ at the top. While the left and right side of the keyboard will include keys like Ctrl, Shift and Fn keys for more acceptability and the center of the keyboard will have those iconic QWERTY keys.

Furthermore, the phone will also support USB Type-C with Quick Charge 3.0, USB OTG and HDMI support, NFC, a two-stage camera shutter button, and a fingerprint scanner on the right edge. In the connectivity department, the phone will be compatible with the following bands:

GSM: 2, 3, 5, 8
WCDMA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
CDMA/EVDO: BC0, BC1
TD-SCDMA: 34/39
TDD-LTE: 38/39/40/41 (100mhz)
FDD-LTE: 1, 2/25, 3, 4, 5/26, 7, 8, 12/17, 13, 20, 28

A unique slider mechanism

In recent times, we’ve seen slider mechanisms like the ‘pop-up slider’ in Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and a motorized slider in Oppo find X. However, this F(x) Technology is introducing a slight unique slider mechanism. This slider mechanism props up the display at a discrete angle when the user wants to type. According to F(x) Technology, this discrete angle allows better viewing for the user and subsequently prevents the screen from wobbling when closed. The company further assured the consumers that the production method of this phone ensures a robust mechanism with more strength and resistance against accidental breakage.

Software

In the software department, the phone will feature Google’s latest Android Pie with slight changes. Since the phone has a different structure and is a bit unorthodox, it will have some added features for its landscape orientation. For example, the launcher of this phone will feature a landscape mode which is not supported by Android Pie.

The company has also developed a few landscape-friendly apps and even has its own email client and calendar app but that doesn’t mean that the phone has a heavy Samsung-like skin which subsequently causes delayed updates and a laggy experience. F(x) technology has assured that the phone will have close to stock Android experience and will get Google’s monthly security updates in a timely manner.

The pricing of the phone hasn’t been leaked yet, the only information available to us is regarding its release which is scheduled in the first half of 2019.