During the'INNO Day 2020 OPPO amazed everyone by presenting one of the most innovative smartphones that have ever been unveiled in the last year: the concept phone Oppo X 2021. It is an extensible smartphone, with a form factor that could represent the next frontier of the telephony market and succeed the much talked about folding smartphones. The rollable phone has been added to the official Global website of the manufacturer, which explains in detail its operation with lots of attached images.
How it is made and how OPPO X 2021 works
First, the site explains that OPPO X 2021 is a concept phone made with a flexible OLED display capable of extending its diagonal from 6,7 inches to 7,4 inches (thus transforming itself into a sort of tablet). But how exactly does it work? Will it be resistant over time? To all these frequent questions, the company has answered by revealing how the smartphone with the rollable display inside is made.
To extend or retract the OPPO X 2021 display, just swipe or double click on a dedicated side button. Inside the device there are two motors that generate a constant force in order to extend and roll up the screen distributing the stress and thus eliminating the possibility of structural damage. On the left side of the smartphone is present a shaft with a diameter of 6,8 mm around which the display rotates when extended or retracted, describing a fluid arc around the axis.
OPPO engineers discovered after many tests that this diameter allows the display to roll up without leaving traces or creases on the panel, unlike what happens with classic folding smartphones. In order for the screen to extend, at the same time the left part of the device moves to the left or right depending on whether the user is "opening" or "closing" it.
Below the display is a 2-in-1 plate which serves to keep the OLED panel taut and never make it bend during the process. The plate consists of two parts that combine together when the smartphone is closed and separate by extending when extended.
But before we get to this plate, just below the screen, we find the Warp Track foil: a layer made of reinforced steel with a pattern inspired by tank tracks with a thickness of 0,1 mm. This layer is used to make the OPPO X 2021 display more double in order to positively affect the maximum angle up to which it can be folded, but also to make it resilient. Put simply, it strengthens the strength of the screen while still keeping it flexible.
The software
An innovative form factor also needs a software sector that is able to make the most of it. With its rollable phone OPPO has also thought of this. Using the Parallel Space mode of ColorOS it is possible for example to show the Facebook and Twitter feeds simultaneously as if you had a double display.
Furthermore, the ColorOS is capable of automatically adjust the screen size to fit the content format you are viewing (videos, e-books, documents…) making the rollable screen even more functional. The software also manages to create an area of the screen dedicated to notifications during gaming, which does not interfere with the game screen. In short, the ColorOS has been customized specifically to benefit the user to the fullest with the potential of OPPO X 2021.
Hardware and cameras
OPPO X 2021 has a special layout optimized for cameras, batteries, antennas and speakers that offers new possibilities for using the smartphone never seen before. A larger image size can be available in the camera app.
In addition to a main camera from 48 Megapixel f / 1.7, OPPO X 2021 also has two TOF 3D sensors which enhance the bokeh effect in photos and videos and can be used for augmented reality. In the future, these sensors will allow users to use the device for activities that combine AR and VR.
OPPO X 2021 has been defined by the manufacturer as the third generation of folding smartphones, but at the moment there is still no official information about its arrival on the market. Will we soon see it on the shelves or will it remain a concept phone for now?
