At Just 17, Teen Builds Foldable Cell Phone With Recycled Materials and Impresses the Tech Market

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 09/04/2025 at 18:39

Lan Bowen, um adolescente chinês, cria celular dobrável com peças recicladas e impressiona gigante da tecnologia Vivo. Fonte: Baidu

Be the first to react!

Lan Bowen, A Chinese Teenager, Creates A Foldable Phone With Recycled Parts And Impresses Technology Giant Vivo.

At 17 years old, Chinese teenager Lan Bowen is attracting attention in the world of technology with a feat that combines innovation, sustainability, and a lot of curiosity. He developed his own foldable phone, using exclusively recycled materials and a 3D printer costing only 250 euros. The achievement not only surprised the tech community but also received public praise from renowned companies like Vivo, a Chinese smartphone giant.

The Birth Of A Foldable Phone

Inspired by the industry’s growing interest in sustainable solutions, Bowen decided to reuse parts from five old phones to create an innovative device that blends features from established brands like Nokia and iPhone.

But he didn’t stop there: he opted for foldable screen technology, a segment still growing and full of technical challenges.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Recycled Foldable Phone: Promising Concept, But In Early Stage

Despite the creativity and positive feedback, Lan Bowen’s foldable phone is still in an early stage of development.

One of the most critical points observed in the prototype is the device’s thickness: when closed, it measures 1.6 centimeters, making it thicker than conventional foldable models, which already face criticism for being less compact.

Foldable phone made by Lan Bowen. Source: Baidu

Still, the project is considered promising. The use of recycled components not only reduces environmental impact but also represents a viable alternative to democratize access to technology.

Bowen’s proposal aligns with a growing trend in the sector: the search for solutions that combine innovation and ecological responsibility.

Impact And Next Steps

The project’s impact was immediate. Numerous users on social media shared the young man’s initiative, while experts highlighted the idea’s potential.

Vivo itself, a leader in the Asian market, publicly praised the teenager’s work, which could open doors for future partnerships or even technical support to scale up the device’s development.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

At Just 17, Teen Builds Foldable Cell Phone With Recycled Materials and Impresses the Tech Market

Lan Bowen, A Chinese Teenager, Creates A Foldable Phone With Recycled Parts And Impresses Technology Giant Vivo.

The Birth Of A Foldable Phone

Recycled Foldable Phone: Promising Concept, But In Early Stage

Impact And Next Steps

Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Two 17-year-old Kenyans use coconut shells, corn cobs, and recycled materials to create an exhaust filter that reduces 93.3% of pollutant particles and wins an environmental award in Africa.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Bangladesh tested a house that seems to have hidden buoys, stays firm on the ground on dry days, and floats during floods without turning into a houseboat.

While regular houses face the hurricane head-on, a company in the United States sells round houses that deflect wind pressure, withstand 130 mph, and reach 190 mph with reinforcements.

The material that still causes surprise in Brazil has become walls in the USA, accelerated houses in Minnesota, and reduced heating costs by 70%.

China creates the world’s largest tower crane to lift giant wind turbines: a 241-meter machine lifts 240 tons, equivalent to hoisting 200 cars, and demonstrates why clean energy now requires engineering equivalent to an 80-story building in modern renewable parks.

Metro works in Rio reveal 1,800 archaeological artifacts up to 200 years old, including porcelains, plates, coins, glass, cutlery, and tram tracks.

At Just 17, Teen Builds Foldable Cell Phone With Recycled Materials and Impresses the Tech Market

Lan Bowen, A Chinese Teenager, Creates A Foldable Phone With Recycled Parts And Impresses Technology Giant Vivo.

The Birth Of A Foldable Phone

Recycled Foldable Phone: Promising Concept, But In Early Stage

Impact And Next Steps

Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Two 17-year-old Kenyans use coconut shells, corn cobs, and recycled materials to create an exhaust filter that reduces 93.3% of pollutant particles and wins an environmental award in Africa.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

Workers were excavating the Historic Center of Porto Alegre when they found stone paving from the early 20th century: a structure used between 1912 and 1928 was preserved, received heritage plaques, and became the first open archaeological site in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

How much does it cost to build a 30 m² tiny house in Brazil with 5 meters of frontage by 6 meters of depth?

Elderly woman keeps over 400 cats inside apartment for years and city hall estimates a cost of R$ 500,000 for rescue after court agreement is not fulfilled

Dissatisfied with people sleeping on the streets of the United Kingdom, a social café trains homeless individuals as baristas, pays a decent wage, offers housing support, and has already helped over 79% of graduates to remain employed.

The largest shopping mall in the world in a single unit is located in Wuhan, China, covering about 800,000 square meters and even features a rooftop equestrian center and an indoor ski slope.

Bangladesh tested a house that seems to have hidden buoys, stays firm on the ground on dry days, and floats during floods without turning into a houseboat.

While regular houses face the hurricane head-on, a company in the United States sells round houses that deflect wind pressure, withstand 130 mph, and reach 190 mph with reinforcements.

The material that still causes surprise in Brazil has become walls in the USA, accelerated houses in Minnesota, and reduced heating costs by 70%.

China creates the world’s largest tower crane to lift giant wind turbines: a 241-meter machine lifts 240 tons, equivalent to hoisting 200 cars, and demonstrates why clean energy now requires engineering equivalent to an 80-story building in modern renewable parks.

Metro works in Rio reveal 1,800 archaeological artifacts up to 200 years old, including porcelains, plates, coins, glass, cutlery, and tram tracks.