F(x)tec Pro1 Shows Up At IFA to Bring Back Slider Phones

The clamshell design is back with foldable phones so perhaps it’s time to bring slider phones back as well.

That’s what London-based startup F(x)tec is doing at IFA 2019 with the F(x)tec Pro1, a phone whose design is just as complicated as its spelling.

At first glance, the F(x)tec Pro1 is a regular smartphone with a six-inch display. It’s actually a 5.99-inch FHD+ one protected by Gorilla Glass 3 that hides a full landscape keyboard just a slide away.

F(x)tec Pro1 runs stock Android but does optimize the launcher and the email app to take advantage of the generous keyboard.

Beyond the clickety keys, the F(x)tec Pro1 has everything you’d expect from a 2019 and quite a bit more.

It has a Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 6 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 128 GB of storage expandable to 2TB using a microSD card and a 3,200 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.

The selfie camera is a single 8 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. On the back, there is a dual setup combining a 12 MP SonyIMX 363 f/1.8 sensor and a 5 MP fixed focus one with f/20 aperture.

It’s worth noting that the F(x)tec Pro1 is Bootloader unlockable and allows you to install another popular OS like Lineage or SailfishOS, if Android 9 Pie isn’t to your liking.

 

The phone also keeps the headphone jack and sports a fingerprint scanner on the side.

F(x)tec Pro1 is already on sale for £649/$699/€649 and will start shipping in late September or early October.