Beijing, Feb 14 (IANS): Chinese multinational telecommunications company ZTE has launched a foldable, double-screen smartphone at an event held in Madrid, Spain.

Called "AXON M", the high-end smartphone has an innovative design with two 5.2 inch screens, which can either be folded out to convert the phone into a tablet-sized device, or opened up to be used separately.

This allows for multi-tasking with different functions carried out simultaneously on each screen.

"The new era of smartphones has arrived. The 'AXON M' is the start of an unimaginable movement regarding the capacity for the use of smartphones and ZTE is leading the way," Samuel Sun, General Manager for Terminals at ZTE, said late on Tuesday.

The "ecosystem for smartphones" has evolved over the past 10 years, but "user experience" remains the same because there have been few changes to the design of the hardware.

Sun said the arrival of AXON M "breaks the rules", and offers more possibilities to clients, who "expect more" from their smartphones.

Gonzalo Eguiluz, Commercial Director of ZTE Spain, also said the new product showed "a different way of using a smartphone".

ZTE entered the Spanish smartphone market in 2008, and since then has expanded its market share and profile, Xinhua news agency reported.

The "AXON M" smartphone will be sold in Spain by network service provider Vodafone.