Oppo X 2021 was unveiled at Oppo Inno Day 2020
Oppo X 2021 is the world's first rollable phone
Watch: Oppo X 2021 is a concept phone featuring a variable OLED display
From foldable phones to flip phones, smartphone makers are vying to innovate and test different form-factors in an attempt to make futuristic technology a reality. To that end, Oppo has created the world’s first rollable phone that looks really cool and is truly one of a kind.
The Oppo X 2021 is a rollable concept phone that looks just like a normal candy-bar smartphone but it features a variable OLED screen that unrolls to a large 7.4-inch display. Oppo has built this as a concept phone which means that you will not see it in the market anytime soon. However, just the existence of this phone blurs the line between having a phone and a tablet. We got to try out the Oppo X 2021 and here are three reasons why we think it changes the game completely.
A pocketable tablet in disguise
In the normal mode, the Oppo X 2021 features a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. However, just a swipe up on the power button expands it to a large 7.4-inch screen and you now have a large display that can be used as a tablet. The most interesting aspect of the phone is how it dynamically changes form factor and can adjust the aspect ratio of the screen to suit a video or document or even a browser. And it is easy to carry around as the screen retracts to a familiar form factor.
Supercharged entertainment and gaming
Currently, there are only a few apps that support the dynamic nature of the display but the Oppo X 2021 can change how we watch and play on our phones. For instance, you like to read on your phone and with the Oppo X 2021, you have a large screen estate to do just that.
There is also a Parallel Space mode which is like a split-screen view that lets you use two apps side by side. We tried using YouTube to watch some videos and it is just perfect as the large screen lets you in on an immersive experience.
We also tried out a couple of popular games on the Oppo X 2021 such as Asphalt 9, Call of Duty: Mobile and it definitely gives you an edge over the regular phones as you are not held back by a small screen.
The rolling mechanism leaves a smaller crease
The Oppo X 2021 looks ingenious with its rolling mechanism that does not leave any crease as there is no hard folding involved. This is something of an issue with the current crop of foldable phones but since this is a first-generation product and a concept phone at that, we did notice an outward bend where the screen rolls in. It is not as prominent as we have seen on foldable and flip phones by Samsung or Motorola and the screen feels solid when unrolled. Having said that, Oppo does need to work on making the rolling mechanism smoother and easier to roll and unroll.
Check out our hands-on video of the Oppo X 2021 below:
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Siddharth Chauhan
Siddharth reports on gadgets, technology and you will occasionally find him testing the latest smartphones at Digit. However, his love affair with tech and futurism extends way beyond, at the intersection of technology and culture. View Full Profile
