With an LG Rollable hanging by a thread and a foldable iPhone pointing to 2022, it’s no wonder that the Oppo X 2021 is grabbing all the attention when it comes to this new trend in the smartphone market.
Oppo reveals new details about its rollable smartphone X 2021
Even though for the moment the company continues to maintain that it will not be smartphone-oriented for the general public, except for the still unknown details of its internal components, it seems to be the only phone currently ready to enter the mass production process.
This is why MWC Shanghai, has been the perfect platform for the company to once again show off its rollable phone concept, both for its hardware innovations and the experiences offered by its extendable display.
OPPO itself admits that an “extendable” screen like that of a rollable phone is more difficult to make than a foldable phone. There are more things to consider in its design: such as the ideal and safe curvature of the screen, the motors to extend and retract it, as well as the support structure for the non-rigid flexible screen. Not coincidentally, those are precisely the three main hardware innovations of the Oppo X 2021.
As we saw earlier in the video, the “Roll Motor” drivetrain, for example, is what makes smooth screen movement possible, while the 6.8mm diameter of the central shaft is promised to be wrinkle-free. There is also a structure of alternating metal strips that provide structural support so that the flexible display will not fall out, whether rolled inward or outward.
Despite the difficulties, Oppo also believes that the rollable design opens up more possibilities for the user experience. Those are more on the software side, such as being able to have more than one app visible on the screen or using the expanded part of the screen for messaging while the main screen runs a game.
However, as we have already seen with the numerous delays of Xiaomi Fold, it is possible that the company’s reluctance to open the availability of the Oppo X 2021 may be linked, first, with a high starting price, and directly related to this same, by the still low interest of users to leap this type of new phones.
