Phurunhanal debuts a folding phone

North Korea’s Phurunhanal Trading Co., one of the country’s top smartphone brands, has begun selling a folding phone. It’s not the first folding phone available in North Korea, but the “Phurunhanal 2026” does appear to be the first from the leading company.

The phone has been featured in North Korean media coverage of the opening of the 18th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair that opened on October 26.

The phone is visible on the left side of this image from Korean Central Television.

And it’s visible at the bottom of this image carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

The other phone being heavily promoted by the company is the Phurunhanal 9-4, which is on the right hand side of the display stand.

The origin of the folding phone is not immediately obvious, although the octagonal camera module bears a resemblance to some of the Huawai Mate series phones. However, the camera module is a slightly different design.

The price of the Phurunhanal 2026 is unknown, but the only other folding phone on the market. The Madusan 2222 was launched earlier year and appears to be based on the Honor Magic V2 RSR. The Madusan handset carried a price tag of US$2,000. There are several other flip-type folding phones on sale in North Korea too.

TV coverage of the trade fair didn’t reveal many other phones on show. Sujongchon Technology Trading Co., which in the past has shown a smartphone and smartwatch, appeared to be promoting only its smart TVs.

And one Chinese company, China Liaoning HPR Business Co. Ltd., was promoting home appliances from Japan’s Panasonic.