We have all seen foldable phones. But is the world ready for rollable or expandable phones? Oppo says yes, yes it is.
Introducing the Oppo X 2021 Concept Smartphone, and it’s continuously variable OLED Display.
What that means in English, is that this phone can grow and contract according to what you want to use it for. That means you can enjoy your multimedia, or get work done, in whatever form factor tickles your fancy. So if you were to watch a movie for example, you’d probably value the bigger screen. But if you want to quickly tap out some messages, then the traditional smartphone form factor is probably best.
@esquireme
Check out the ##Oppo rollable smartphone on today's ##TechTok - it can transform from phone to tablet with the flick of a button ##tech ##gadgets
The phone transforms from a regular 6.7-inch smartphone into a 7.4-inch tablet via a swipe on the power button. And its software will automagically adapt to any content you may have on the screen, from videos to images.
Oppo has even said that it is working on a variable motor that can stop and start whenever you want it to. Further opening the door to other form factors.
The way it works isn’t too complicated. Inside the phone sits a long OLED panel that’s attached to a Warp Track, for improved strength. When it needs to be unfurled, the warp motor goes to work slowly unrolling the now larger OLED.
This is actually the product of 122 patents, with many dedicated just to the scroll mechanism alone.
The hardware itself is actually pretty slick. And I dig the opening and closing of the screen. Just swipe up on the power button to open it, and then swipe down to close. Of course, you can also squeeze the phone in tablet position and it will also automatically close.
The screen is good too. There’s no give or sponginess when you type on the screen. And while there is a slight crease where the phone rolls back into the case, you won’t notice it when the screen is on.
The company hasn’t said what is on the inside of the device – this is, after all – a prototype. But I can see there is no selfie camera on this model, and there’s no telling how the roll able screen and that motor will affect things like battery life. There’s also no idea how much this type of technology would cost.
While there remains quite a bit of questions around this device, as well as when we might see an actual production model out in the world, one thing I do know is that this is very, very cool. And it just might be the next best thing since the last best thing: foldable phones.
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