What will smartphones of the future look like? Until now, foldable devices were considered one of the safest contenders for the design of tomorrow, but now another candidate has secretly sneaked in. And it even seems to have significantly better chances, as it eliminates some of the known problems that foldable displays have suffered from for years – more on that in a moment. We’re talking about scrollable smartphones with pull-out screens.
The Chinese manufacturer TCL already presented a corresponding concept in spring 2020 (via CNET), Oppo with the X 2021 last November. There are now the first hands-on videos of the latter, for example a short clip from Twitterer Brandon:
https://twitter.com/BrandonLKS/status/1359433401644838915
The device in the video is apparently a prototype, because the Oppo X 2021 is not yet available. The functionality of the scrollable display, which doesn’t seem to have any kinks, is also very nice to see.
Foldable smartphones with problems
Foldable devices, on the other hand, suffer particularly badly from these kinks. You probably remember the misery surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Fold. The first iteration was withdrawn from circulation before the actual market launch:
Many testers complained about display damage, including Technology Youtuber Marques Brownlee.
Something similar was reported about a year ago from Motorola’s RAZR.
After eliminating these design flaws, the second iteration came out in late 2019. There are now foldable devices from other manufacturers and in other form factors, such as the Motorola RAZA described above and now heavily discounted, which is based on the iconic design of the RAZR V3 from the early 2000s.
Some other devices are also said to be susceptible to damage due to the folding process, which is not too tolerable for the display.
Screens that can be rolled up or rolled out should at least be less affected or not at all affected by this problem. The future will show whether there are still difficulties with the technology.
When can we expect the Oppo X 2021?
The manufacturer has not yet provided any information on this. Accordingly, there is still no information on the price. At least the naming suggests a release this year. We are excited!