Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar may have been known for disturbing reasons. However, his brother Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria recently gained fame for creating his own smartphone brand. With folding screens and powerful specifications, the Escobar Fold 2 smartphone is a sequel to the Escobar Fold 1. Also Read - Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 may come with a new form of S Pen
The Fold 2 had an interesting take on major folding smartphones that are priced very highly. The Escobar Fold 2 smart features a folding screen with a bunch of great specifications. The phone, however, is priced at just $399 (about Rs 29,587), which is much lower than the Samsung Galaxy Fold at $1980 (about Rs 1,46,826). Also Read - Escobar Fold 2 is yet another foldable smartphone from Pablo Escobar's brother
Watch: Samsung Galaxy S20+ First Look
What did not add up, was that despite the big difference in price, both phones featured a similar design and the same internals. A recent revelation, however, by Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee on his channel MKBHD reveals the truth behind the smartphone. Also Read - Meet Escobar Fold 1: A foldable smartphone from Pablo Escobar's brother priced under Rs 25,000
The video reveals that the Escobar Fold 2 is just a Samsung Galaxy Fold covered with a custom gold-plated skin. The YouTuber used a box cutter to peel of the gold-plating and revealed the phone underneath. Further, the box the phone ships with also only comes with a device and a charging cable.
Getting the Escobar Fold 2 is harder than you think
Brownlee suggested that the whole deal could be more of a scam rather than a cost-cutting measure. What adds to this doubt is the fact that the Escobar Fold 2 is not shipped to everyone. As of now, it is only being sent to consumers who are popular on YouTube or other platforms. Brownlee also mentioned that the company reached out to him asking for video coverage.
There was also a lot of marketing and hype creation behind the Escobar Fold 2. The company came up with taglines like ‘Rest in Peace Samsung’ and marketed itself as the ‘Samsung Killer’. Now, it seems it was all a marketing strategy for a scam.