IT seems that another company might beat Samsung in the race for foldable smartphones. Word has it that China’s ZTE will announce one at its October 17 event in New York. The device is code-named Axon Multy, but is rumored to launch as the ZTE Axon M.

The handset is said to feature two full-HD screens that will fold out into a 6.8-inch display with 1,920 x 2,160 pixel resolution. And in that mode, it will let you multitask in such a way that two different apps are displayed on each screen.

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Previous leaks suggest that the ZTE Axon M will be priced at $650, or around P33,118 in Philippine pesos. It will come with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 3,120 mAh battery. One 20-megapixel camera can pivot to face either direction, so there’s no need for other sensors. Unfortunately, you’ll probably be seeing an older Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip here.

This report might surprise most a little bit, considering that people were expecting either Samsung or LG to get the honor of introducing a bendable smartphone. The two have demoed their flexible-display tech for years now. In fact, we were in Las Vegas for CES 2013 when Stephen Woo, president of Samsung’s System LSI business, demoed a prototype device showcasing Youm as part of his keynote.

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Also, right after a Samsung executive had confirmed that they are working on a foldable device under the Galaxy Note line, rumors began swirling that its launch is sooner than we think it is.

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But all signs now point to ZTE being the first to market a foldable phone. Let’s see if it can offer us something truly innovative.

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