Royole FlexPal

California-based start-up Royole has beaten major players

Huawei and Samsung in launching what it claims is the

world's first foldable smartphone.

Unveiled Wednesday at a conference in Beijing, the

FlexPai mobile phone was made available to consumers

in a flash sale on Thursday. Priced from 8,999 to 12,999

yuan ($1,295.49 to $1,871.33), the company said it would

start delivering the phones in December.

Royole, a six-year-old components manufacturer, said

FlexPai would "subvert people's perception of traditional

smart phones," functioning as a portable device and a

high-definition large screen tablet, with the capability to

support dual-screen use.

During the press conference, Bill Liu, founder and CEO

of Royole, also announced that the firm would invest 200

million yuan into global firms that would develop apps and

software for the device.

"The Royole FlexPai foldable smartphone provides mobile

phone users with a revolutionary experience compared to

traditional phones," Liu said.

"It perfectly solves the contradiction between the high-

definition large-screen experience and portability, which

introduces a whole new dimension to the human-machine

interface. The phone's inherent design will forever change

the consumer electronics industry, as well as the way

people interact with and perceive their world."