Pablo Escobar’s brother has made a foldable phone − and he wants to beat Apple with it

What does the name ‘Escobar’ bring to mind? Probably not top of the range tech, right? Well, Pablo Escobar’s brother, Roberto, is looking to change that. He’s released the Escobar Fold 1, a foldable device that he reckons is much tougher than the Galaxy Fold and much better value than iPhones. 

The Colombian magnate is aiming to undercut the competition with a foldable phone that costs less that the Samsung equivalent and is more hard-wearing (not too difficult, surely).

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It’s equipped with Android 9, an Octa-Core 2.8Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 CPU, a 7.8-inch AMOLED FHD+ screen and two cameras, one 16-megapixel and one 20-megapixel (via Digital Trends).

Usefully, the phone comes unlocked, so you’re completely free to choose your own network. Plus, it can carry two SIM cards.

Image credit: Digital Trends

Co-founder of the Medellin Cartel, Roberto Escobar told Digital Trends:

“I have told many people that I would beat Apple and I will. I cut the networks and retailers, to sell to customers phones that can fold for only $349, phones which in stores cost thousands of dollars by Samsung and others. This is my goal, to beat Apple, and by doing it myself like I always have.”

Escobar has also launched an astonishing lawsuit against Apple, accusing it of “selling worthless phones to consumers, overpriced”. He really does seem eager to be a thorn in the side of the US tech giant.

He claimed: “My lawyers have been ready for long time, but before I sue them and give money back to the people which they deserve, I wanted to show them that my product is much better. On January 6 of next year, 2020, the $30 billion class-action lawsuit will be filed in the courts of California of America … I have spent almost $1 million just on lawyers to begin this lawsuit.”

Escobar also seems particularly security conscious regarding his new phone release. We can’t think why.

He said: “We have special security on the phone. This makes it very difficult for anyone to scan the phone, both [for] near-person communications like Bluetooth, and also for governments to access the devices.”

Image credit: Digital Trends

He added: “Also, the cover that comes with all phones has a thin layer of metal that blocks RFID and other communications. This is a lot of phone for a small price, but this is, like I say, thanks to us selling direct to customers without any middlemen.”

In terms of styling, the fold − or hinge − looks a little clumsy compared to Samsung’s and some of the details do look a little on the cheap side. It’s a little reminiscent of the Royole FlexPai, which we didn’t exactly love. The gold touches on the reverse are typically understated too.

In all fairness, the Escobar Fold 1 is being sold a lot more cheaply than its rivals, at $349. Samsung is asking a lot for users to adopt their £1900 foldable.