Today’s Inno Day 2020 event unveiled the Oppo X 2021 concept smartphone, which is all about its “continuously variable OLED display.” With a simple swipe on a button, the phone is able to transform between a regular 6.7-inch size and a tablet-like 7.4-inch size, and the software interface adapts accordingly for optimal experience — be it for single-hand usage or for multi-tasking.
Oppo
In a demo shown to Engadget, the prototype magically toggled between two screen sizes, with the video resizing itself on the fly to fill the screen. Similarly, the system menus and Twitter also switched between their phone interface and tablet interface to match the screen size. Oppo added that the user can freely customize the screen size, so you’re not just limited to either 6.7 inches or 7.4 inches. Hence the “continuously variable” label.
Oppo
Oppo wasn’t afraid to explain the magic here. The phone is essentially a motorized scroll, with a large part of the OLED panel laminated onto a “Warp Track” for improved strength, as it goes around a “Roll Motor” (with a 6.8mm scroll diameter) on the left to tuck itself into a hidden compartment. The phone itself consists of a “2-in-1 Plate” body construction: these two parts roll out simultaneously and evenly for better structural support.
Oppo applied for 122 patents for this project, 12 of which were on the scroll mechanism alone. The company stopped short at providing further details — no word on the screen specs, the panel’s supplier nor durability figures. Levin Liu, OPPO Vice President and Head of OPPO Research Institute, stressed that the Oppo X 2021 is still in concept stage, but he hopes to bring this technology to consumers “at the right time.”
Oppo
Oppo
