Watch Motorola's concept rollable phone expand vertically from a 4-inch to a 6.5-inch screen
LG was on the verge of releasing the first rollable handset before the company decided to exit the smartphone business in April 2021. Last month, a nearly finished unit was reviewed on YouTube by a Korean gentleman who showed how the 6.8-inch screen on the device expanded to a 7.4-inch display. Samsung is reportedly working on a rollable phone and now Motorola has announced a rollable phone concept.
According to CNET, Motorola revealed its rollable concept during the Lenovo Tech World event. The device can change screen size from 4-inches to 6.5-inches and because it is a concept device, there are no plans yet to release the rollable phone to the public. The concept phone developed by Motorola is different from other rollable concepts which stretch horizontally to turn from a smartphone screen to a tablet-sized display.
Consumers may end up favoring rollable phones over foldable handsets
Instead, the Motorola concept expands vertically to change from a small-screened handset to one with an average-sized display. While it might take several more years before rollables become widely available to consumers, Ross Young, the co-founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), believes that the public might be happier with the rollable form factor than with today's foldable devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Previously Young had said, "I think the rollable concept has a lot of potential to replace that book-type device in my mind because it's going to be a lot thinner. And it should be a lot lighter." A rollable form factor could also do away with the crease that mars the look of foldable devices.
Speaking of foldables, Motorola earlier this year released the Razr 22, the third generation of its clamshell foldable phone. So far, however, the device has been available only in China although a European release is coming soon. Motorola upgraded the Razr this year replacing the mid-range Snapdragon chip deployed on the device with a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC.
Motorola is nowhere near the top of the global foldable market which is led by Samsung. Counterpoint Research says that the latter owns a 62% market share thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip models. Huawei is next with 16%. The foldable market is expected to grow 73% this year.
Motorola is the third largest smartphone brand in the United States
Motorola showed a short video at Lenovo Tech World of its rollable concept and with the press of a button, the OLED display grows taller. The idea is, like the Razr, you can easily fit the rollable device in your pocket and have it extend to its full size when needed. Lenovo released a video, which we embedded in this article, showing the phone expanding in size.
Motorola is the third largest smartphone brand in the U.S. Unable to keep the momentum it generated with the release of the Motorola DROID in November 2009 when the phone became the first handset to give the iPhone a run for its money, Motorola eventually was reduced to a shadow of its former self. Instead of packing it in, the company focused on producing low-priced budget models that did well.
Eventually, Motorola worked its way back to mid-range phones and re-entered the flagship market with the Motorola Edge Plus in 2020. This year, it became the first phone manufacturer to include a 200MP camera sensor in a phone with the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra. The device also features a 125W charger to quickly replenish the 4600mAh battery that keeps the phone's lights on.
If you were looking to purchase a rollable phone, would you favor the horizontally expanding models like the one Samsung is working on or would you prefer the vertically expanding form factor seen with the Motorola rollable concept? You can post your answer in the comments section.
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