/i/1274866777.png?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "The next step: smartphones with roll-up screens – Wallpaper")
At Tweakers, we try to stay away from useless imagery, such as ‘launching’ a service or ‘rolling out’ an update. Launching is done with rockets and rolling out is of course done with carpet. But rolling out a smartphone could really become a possibility in the near future. Because there are now three manufacturers who have shown a concept and perhaps more companies are working on it.
After the foldable smartphone, this is the second step on the way to new shapes for smartphones. The smartphone with a retractable or retractable screen has a hidden piece of screen in the housing that becomes visible by rolling out the screen. As a result, you suddenly turn a screen into a larger screen if necessary.
Concepts of extendable smartphones
To see which problem this solves, we can easily go back to the most famous telephone presentation to date: that of the first iPhone in 2007. Apple foreman then tried to explain what the then new iPhone was a solution. The problem, he argued, was in the bottom half of smartphone designs at the time.
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Because, he argued, the buttons that are there are fixed and cannot adapt to apps. But every app wants a slightly different interface with different buttons. The solution to that was a phone with a ‘gigantic’ 3.5 “screen.
Now every smartphone has a large touchscreen, but one other problem remains: the screen ratio. Want to scroll through your Twitter feed or Facebook posts? Then the current smartphone screens from 19: 9 to 21: 9 are fine. But when you start watching video, you often see black bars, because a lot of video material is 16: 9 or 18: 9. Want to type a long message or read a long text? Then you benefit more from a wider screen of, for example, 4: 3.
In short, not only does each app want a slightly different interface, but each type of app also benefits from a slightly different screen ratio.
The current foldable telephones only offer a partial solution; the point of a fold is that it allows two screen sizes and screen ratios. Take the Galaxy Z Fold2 from Samsung; it has an extremely long 25: 9 screen on the outside and a 5: 4 screen on the inside. So if you want to watch a 16: 9 video, you can choose a version with large black bars on the side or a version with large black bars on the top and bottom.
The solution is a screen with an adjustable aspect ratio. Then you can, within certain limits, determine the screen ratio yourself. Or, even better, let the software determine the aspect ratio.
How it works
A number of manufacturers have shown concepts of this technique. Oppo has demonstrated one, TCL – which you may know from the Alcatel brand – has shown several and LG has shown a teaser of such a phone.
The implementation differs between that of Oppo and TCL. Let’s start with Oppo; who presented the concept on his Inno Day 2020 earlier this week.
The video starts automatically at the right time
The phone has a 6.7 “screen that rolls out to a 7.4” screen on the right. That sounds like a small difference, but it isn’t. The screen has almost half the surface area after roll-out. The screen goes from 15.5x7cm to 15.5×10.6cm, or from 108 square centimeters to 164 square centimeters.
That happens with something that Oppo calls a ‘roll motor’. Activation can be done by swiping on the right side. Then it goes from the minimum width to the maximum width and back. Furthermore, a motor makes it possible for the software to choose a ratio itself. As an example, Oppo mentions that you watch a 16: 9 video at 16: 9, after which the screen slides out a bit to quickly show a notification.
The part of the screen that extends is rolled up in the housing; that roll has a diameter of 6.8 mm. As a result, it is not folded and that should ensure that no fold is visible.
The whole system is reinforced with a coating behind the screen and an interlocking metal system. The system is of course possible by using a flexible OLED screen with plastic substrate, as is usual with foldable smartphones.
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The prototype that TCL showed in March, works much the same. The TCL version has no motor. By pulling on the right side, the screen slides over the side, as in this gif is visible. This makes it possible to make the screen surface approximately twice as large. Fewer details are known of the TCL model.
The least known of which is LG’s – but its release may be the closest. The telephone is probably called Rollable and LG showed a glimpse at the end of the Wing smartphone presentation. LG has of course already showed a rollable TV. The rollable smartphone should appear next year.
In addition, there are more rumors. For example, market leader Samsung also work on such a model. That is obvious: Samsung makes flexible OLED panels that are necessary for such phones and jumps early on any trend to perpetuate the market leadership.
Why you need to be able to slide out smartphones
In practice, this is the case with, for example, the Oppo X 2021. When you use it ‘normally’, it has a 6.7 “screen with a 20: 9 ratio. 5.6 “. But with the X 2021, the screen can be pulled out a bit for a 16: 9 ratio, so you watch video at 7 “.
| Calculation example | Normal diagonal | With 16: 9 video |
| Rollable phone | 6,7″, 108cm², 20:9 | 7,0″, 135cm² |
| Regular phone | 6,7:, 108cm², 20:9 | 5.6 “86,4cm² |
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The area to watch video will then increase by almost 56 percent. That’s a huge difference when watching videos – and you don’t have to fuss with black borders as a bonus. A huge advantage for those who use their phone a lot for watching videos.
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In addition, there are other obvious reasons for wanting to make such a phone that have nothing to do with technology. Brands such as Oppo and TCL would like to be seen as innovative and with new forms for smartphones, these Chinese companies are getting the necessary attention. That can boost sales of all models of those manufacturers, because of the brand recognition and the marketing power that comes from such models.
Moreover, apart from Samsung, the manufacturers who are working on it are not by chance the manufacturers who missed the boat with folding smartphones. Samsung, Huawei, Royole and Motorola have released multiple foldable models so far. That has some success, but it is a small part of the smartphone market. The foldable smartphones have also shown what you should pay attention to when producing such a phone. Because the release of foldable smartphones went anything but flawlessly.
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Finally
It is now a bit of speculation when these phones will come out. LG seems to be aiming for next spring and Samsung would also like to try something next year. The rollable smartphone is really the next logical step after the foldable smartphone and can really add something.
There are also many question marks. How sturdy is the construction? Can the housing be made water resistant? Can a phone charge wirelessly with a screen that might be in front of the coil? What about the durability of such phones?
In addition, there are questions about its shape and operation, such as whether a motor is needed, whether the screen ratio should automatically adjust itself per app or application, and whether phones become much bigger or thicker from this mechanism. Those are all questions that will undoubtedly get an answer, as soon as manufacturers start to ehhh … roll out this new type of smartphones.
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