Chinese student develops foldable smartphone with 3D printer

A Chinese student has built a vertically foldable cell phone using a 3D printer and old smartphone components. His project is causing a stir on social media and is even attracting the attention of a major smartphone manufacturer.

Lan Bowen, a student at Yiling High School in Hubei province, published a video in which he documents the construction of his smartphone. His idea came about after studying existing foldable smartphones. While many models can be folded horizontally or inwards, there are hardly any vertically foldable devices where the screen remains on the outside. Lan wanted to implement this concept. He calls the device the “Meal Card Machine”, as its dimensions when folded are reminiscent of a canteen card – apart from the thickness of 16 mm.

He printed the housing using a 3D printer, which he bought for the equivalent of around 275 US dollars. Most of the components came from his family’s old smartphones, with some parts purchased online. One major challenge was the touch function, which no longer worked reliably when opened. It was only after several design changes and tests that Lan found a solution.

Despite the basic functions working, he still sees room for improvement: “My smartphone is at a very early stage of development and has many weaknesses. But it fulfills all the basic functions of a normal cell phone,” he explains in his video.