Smartphone manufacturers are constantly pushing the boundaries with technological innovation. Every year we see a new feature or standard become the norm or a new launch that evolves upon the fundamental designs. Now, Oppo has unveiled the Oppo X 2021 Rollable Concept smartphone that features an extending display, which is the first of its kind.

oppo extend

The efforts of the Chinese tech giant’s R&D is on full display at the Inno Day 2020 event as the Oppo X 2021 arrives with a unique extending screen. Its display expands from 6.7 inches to 7.4 inches, which is achieved through the company’s rollable concept technology.

This makes the display durable with no “hard folding” involved to eliminate the “headache’ of a crease forming in the middle of the display, which is common on foldable handsets. The screen is an OLED panel that extends through its 6.8mm Roll Motor that is a proprietary design. Notably, the company had filed for 122 patents for this project, out of which 12 are used on the scroll mechanism alone.

Oppo placed an emphasis on the durability and support structure behind its rollable display. The company built a special 2 in 1 plate, which acts as the support when the display is contracted or extended. It achieves this by having the support panel comprise of two parts with one portion sliding out along with the display to keep a rigid structure and achieve a flat surface. Oppo’s Chief 5G scientist Henry Tang stated that “Compared with foldable technologies, rollable displays are a lot more adaptable as they are adjustable between minimum and maximum sizes for different use case scenarios.”

Furthermore, the company also added a custom made laminate for the screen for additional protection. The Warp Track is a 0.1mm laminate that firmly protects the screen. Oppo intends to have this device enhance the usual functions that a smartphone offers. In other words, the additional real estate would offer a wider view during gaming, extra real estate for reading e-books, and even offer split interface to make full use of the extended display.

Unfortunately, finer details and specifications of the smartphone is currently unknown nor has the company revealed further details regarding the panel supplier or mention anything specific regarding availability. Levin Liu, Oppo Vice President and Head of Oppo Research Institute, also stressed at the device’s concept stage but he hopes to bring this technology to consumers “at the right time.”

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