After a long wait, the time had finally come at the end of 2018: the manufacturer Royole presented its FlexPai – the world’s first foldable smartphone. A whole range of folding cell phones followed, such as the Motorola Razr 5G or the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. But apart from the high purchase price, they all had one major disadvantage: a clearly recognizable fold at the point where the cell phone is folded. And that is exactly what could be fatal for the foldable smartphones. Because the new, rollable cell phones do not have these disadvantages.
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LG, Xiaomi, Samsung & Oppo pave the way: Finally cool cell phones again
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Foldable vs. rollable smartphones
Numerous companies are currently working on mobile phones – above all LG and Oppo. When rolled up, they should not be distinguishable from a smartphone, but when rolled up they correspond to smaller tablets in terms of both appearance and functionality. But if at this point you want to grab your shoes and run to the nearest electronics retailer, don’t do it. Because even without a pandemic, you would not be successful. Rollable cell phones are currently not on the market. But that is exactly what could change in the near future. Because the devices do not seem far from being ready for the market. This is indicated, among other things, by several hands-on videos of the roll-up Oppo X 2021, which last appeared on YouTube.
The Oppo X 2021 is only a concept phone. But in the video, the hardware seems to be quite advanced and working properly. And best of all: the display looks completely smooth even in tablet mode. In addition, while the device appears to be quite thick, it still does not compare to the double width that is inherent in foldable smartphones. Another advantage that could ensure that the still young folding cell phones quickly disappear from the market. On the other hand, the bezels of the Oppo X 2021 seem quite wide, but not wide enough to pose a serious disadvantage.
Folding cell phones still have their raison d’etre
So far, it seems that rollable smartphones are pushing their foldable opponents out of the market. And that is also quite possible, but this only applies to devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 – i.e. smartphones that, when opened, correspond to tablets. However, there is still the Motorola Razr 5G or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. When opened, these devices correspond to a normal smartphone and are instead significantly smaller when folded, albeit thicker. And that’s exactly what rollable cell phones can’t do. In this case, all of the hardware would have to fit into the casing of the rolled up smartphone. The space would therefore only be about half the size of a normal cell phone and would therefore not be enough.
The Razr 5G cannot be set up at a 90-degree angle.
So the bottom line is that it is quite possible that mobile devices will replace the tablet-shaped folding cell phones. The nostalgic clamshell phones shouldn’t be affected at first.
