The Rapidly Approaching 'Rollable' and the Heating Up 'Foldable'

Oppo Leads in Unveiling but Faces Challenges in Mass Production
LG Electronics Expected to Commercialize Rollable in Early Next Year
Foldable Korea-China War Accelerates... Samsung Anticipated to Launch 3 Foldable Models

Oppo Unveils Rollable Phone 'Oppo X 2021'

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Competition among various smartphone form factors such as rollable and foldable devices will intensify starting next year. Samsung and LG Electronics are leading the way, but Chinese manufacturers are also expected to join the race.

On the 17th (local time), Oppo unveiled its rollable smartphone, the 'Oppo X 2021.' Although Oppo has taken the lead in prototype development, it is expected to take considerable time before achieving mass production. Oppo also revealed a foldable smartphone prototype last year, but the actual product has yet to be released.

The rollable phone unveiled by Oppo features a 6.7-inch smartphone screen that can expand up to 7.4 inches. When the button on the right side is swiped up, the outermost external frame opens, extending the internal sliding frame. Equipped with dual rolling motors at the bottom, the screen unfolds smoothly without wrinkles and can be expanded or contracted back to its original size with the same force.

An industry insider explained, "Oppo has revealed several concepts and prototypes over time, but no commercialized products yet. Creating a single prototype to showcase is not difficult, but establishing a system and quality assurance for mass production is challenging."

Silhouette of the rollable phone unveiled by LG Electronics

LG Electronics, which announced plans to release a rollable phone before Oppo, is more likely to commercialize it first. LG Electronics is also expected to unveil its rollable smartphone as early as March next year. Recently, LG Electronics filed trademarks for 'LG Slide' and 'LG Rollable' with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

If LG Electronics launches this product early next year, it will become the world's first commercialized rollable phone. In Korea, it is nicknamed the 'Sangsosmun phone.' LG Electronics hinted at the rollable phone release during the 'LG Wing' unveiling event last September. The teaser image of the product revealed shows a form similar to Oppo's, where the display can be extended like a drawer inside the external frame.

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold2

Next year, marking the third year since foldable smartphones were launched, Chinese manufacturers are also expected to join the market. Samsung Electronics has released three models: Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, and Galaxy Z Fold2, and is anticipated to introduce an affordable foldable smartphone next year. It is expected that models such as Galaxy Z Fold Lite or Galaxy Z Fold FE will be released.

IT tipster Ice Universe stated, "The rollable phone unveiled by Oppo is just a test product and far from mass production," but added, "Next year will still be the stage for 'Fold,' and Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, and others are also planning to release their own foldable smartphones."

Huawei Mate X2 Rendering Image (Source=Let’s Go Digital)

Chinese manufacturers still face challenges such as overcoming technical issues related to the durability of displays and hinges required for foldable smartphones, as well as high prices. Huawei released the foldable phone 'Mate Xs' for 3.3 million KRW in the first half of this year. Due to difficulties in semiconductor supply caused by U.S. government sanctions, the release of the foldable smartphone successor 'Mate X2' has been postponed to next year. The Mate X2 adopts an inward folding design inspired by the Galaxy Z Fold2, features an 8.03-inch main screen, supports a cover display, and includes a quad-camera setup.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.