Forget the foldable ones, what about the ones that can be rolled up?
At Mobile World Congress 2023, Motorola unveiled a concept phone with a rollable screen that expands as you use it. Motorola teased a rollable phone last year, but this time MWC attendees got a first-hand look at how it works.
Motorola’s rollable phone concept goes tall, not wide
An evolution of the Rizr series, the prototype is compact by default at 5 inches tall, reports Rita El Khoury in a hands-on story.(opens in new tab) For Android Authority. A POLED display covers the front, covers the bottom third of the back, and doubles as a secondary display. Double-tap the power button and a motorized mechanism begins rotating the screen upwards, expanding it vertically to create a larger 6.5-inch display. As the display rolls up, it seamlessly expands to reveal more content, as if you were scrolling down the page. Double tap again to roll down the screen. All in all, rolling only takes a few seconds.
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There are also settings to configure when and how the display unfolds. When held vertically, the screen rolls up while you’re writing an email. When watching videos, you can adjust the display to automatically zoom in when you turn your device sideways. The screen automatically rolls down when you turn the display back upright.
Since this is just a prototype, there are definitely some issues Motorola will have to deal with before or if it hits the market. The Android Authority describes the phone as “extremely heavy at 210 grams,” and the rolling mechanism definitely drains the battery. But if Motorola can overcome these challenges, it’s a clever way to create more screen real estate that’s more convenient than foldables.
Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, is also thinking about how flexible displays can improve the user experience. At MWC, Lenovo unveiled a laptop prototype of the ThinkPad X1 Fold with the same rollable screen technology. The unfolded display is 12.7 inches with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and expands to a 15.3-inch screen with an 8:9 aspect ratio. The X1 Fold is expected to launch later this year.
