Folding phones, while new, have been the same for a little while now, but Honor looks like it could shake things up. At IFA 2023 in Berlin, the company announced the Honor V Purse, a phone that has its screen all around the outside of the case and unfolds to make a bigger screen. It’s definitely different from the other best foldable phones on the market at the moment.
While it may sound impractical, it’s only a concept phone, and Honor is advertising the device in a different sort of way. It’s all in on the fashion side of things, with the phone getting a handbag-style strap, various designs for the outside of the device, and even a catwalk fashion display on the show floor at IFA. It’s putting the device firmly in a different category from usual flagships.
Of course, it’s just a concept phone, but the design does raise some questions. Obviously, having your display all around the outside of the phone isn’t going to be good for hazard-prone fashionistas — that thing’s gonna crack — while the idea of having a fashionable wallpaper always on also sounds fun, that’s gonna murder battery life. And it doesn’t look like the device could fit a particularly big battery either.
Still, it’s good fun, and there’s no point in being a tech cynic about it. Just look at the video below and see for yourself.
For more beyond the Honor V Purse concept phone, check out all the latest news from IFA 2023 with Withings’ ScanWatch and JBL’s SoundGear Sense earbuds.