Oppo says there's no 'short-term' plan for commercial rollable phone

Supplied by Oppo

TL;DR

• There are no short-term plans to release the Oppo X 2021 rollable phone.
• Oppo adds that commercialization requires research and business justification.
• The brand also noted that the X 2021 screen is made out of plastic.

Oppo made tech headlines last week when it revealed the X 2021 rollable phone concept at its Inno Day 2020 event. The design offers a 6.7-inch smartphone screen that extends from the side to deliver a 7.4-inch display.

It makes for an intriguing alternative to foldable phones, but Oppo has now told Android Authority there aren’t any plans to offer a commercial release in the near future.

“Commercialization requires market research and business justification, and may take some time,” Oppo added. In other words, it sounds like there’s no guarantee that the firm will release a rollable phone in general. But at the very least, Oppo could use the concept phone’s development as a reference to explore other phone designs.

Oppo also confirmed to Android Authority that it’s currently using a “plastic surface on the screen” but that it’s using a “hard cover” ostensibly to improve toughness. This suggests that rollable phone screens will have the same durability as foldables.

Nevertheless, those wanting to get their hands on a commercial rollable phone might want to wait for LG’s Project B device to launch instead. It’s believed that LG’s take on the rollable phone will launch in March 2021.

Would you buy a rollable smartphone?

1279 votes

Yes, of course!

33%

Maybe, depending on the price

31%

Maybe, if durability isn't an issue

27%

No, I wouldn't buy one

9%

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