Tik Tech: We tested Oppo's X 2021 roll-up smartphone -
20 Minutes
Surprise in the world of telephony with the X 2021 from Chinese manufacturer Oppo.
Astonishing and full of promises, this first smartphone with a rollable OLED screen remains for the moment in the state of prototype but works perfectly.
If it were to be marketed, the X 2021 would make it possible to invent new uses on a smartphone but above all to increase user comfort.
After smartphones with foldable screens, like Samsung's Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Flip, or like Huawei's Mate Xs, it's time for smartphones with roll-up screens.
Oppo has just presented its X 2021, the prototype of a terminal using this new concept.
We were able to take it in hand for quite a long time, and we observed: the device suggests a real break in the world of mobile telephony.
A little touch of magic
It is in a small group, in a large office in Neuilly-sur-Seine with a breathtaking view of the towers of La Défense, that the Oppo brand invited us to discover its X 2021. Exit the video, Zoom or Teams, here is finally a face-to-face presentation, the first for weeks!
Out of a box that one would think borrowed from the Brinks, the device is revealed.
A button to activate on the edge of the X 2021 allows you to scroll down its screen.
- OPPO
Its fairly classic appearance leaves nothing to shine through.
The X 2021 is a sleek 6.7 '' / 17.01 cm screen smartphone with curved side edges.
It looks a bit longer but is hardly thicker than another.
Barely heavier: 272 grams, compared to 200 grams on average for most smartphones.
At the top and bottom, an aluminum rim gives it a resistant appearance.
On its right side, a small key on which we are invited to perform a double
tap
of the index finger.
And there, magic!
A metamorphosis in 3 seconds
Accompanied by the discreet noise of its engine, the smartphone expands in our hand.
We instinctively release our pressure on the aircraft to let it unfold unhindered.
Its side edges move away from each other and let the screen of the X 2021 adopt a new format: 7.4 inches, or 18.79 cm diagonally.
The “wow!
», So often hoped for, can be read in the eyes.
Oppo's X 2021 not unrolled ... - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
The Oppo X 2021 once rolled out.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
In just three seconds, the classic smartphone was transformed into a hybrid device, with a unique appearance.
Its format is reminiscent of an Amazon Kindle Oasis e-reader (7 '') or the iPad Mini (7.9 '').
Press the side button again, and the X 2021 retracts.
Before our eyes, its extendable screen does not display any marking, unlike the screen of the Galaxy Fold which leaves a glimpse of the mark of its central fold.
Almost a finished product
This is a prototype, a “concept phone”, we are told.
Yes, but a particularly successful "proto"!
Far from some of the more or less functional smartphone outlines that we were able to take in hand, the X 2021 has everything the finished product.
Admittedly, it still lacks a cover for a SIM card, volume buttons, and the screen still lacks a front camera.
We can also imagine the complexity that there could be to house a camera in this flexible screen.
For its Galaxy Fold, Samsung has not succeeded: the front photo module of the foldable smartphone is housed in a notch off the screen, on the edge of the device.
The mysterious triple rear photo module of the Oppo X 2021.
- Oppo
The rear photo section of the X 2021 has three modules.
A 48 megapixel mention is inscribed on one of the lenses, but Oppo admits not being able to provide us with more information on what the photographic claims of its smartphone might be.
122 patents filed
According to the manufacturer, the X 2021 would have required a year of R & D. The Chinese manufacturer would have filed 122 patents, including 12 for the mechanism of the device.
By sliding around a 6.8 mm roller, it allows part of its screen, mounted on a plate driven by tiny tracks, to come and go in the hull as the user needs.
The track system that allows the screen of the X 2021 to unroll and roll up.
- OPPO
Oppo claims the system has been tested for 100,000 retractions.
The manufacturer hopes to be able to double this performance and achieve the same (unverifiable) promises as those of Samsung with its Galaxy Fold with 200,000 openings / closings.
New uses to explore
So, for what needs the X 2021?
One thing is obvious: if it saw the light of day and if it was marketed (by the way, at what price?), Oppo's X 2021 could appeal to readers.
Once unrolled, the smartphone screen offers a particularly comfortable reading surface.
Our tests with a few pages of
20 Minutes
have thus proved to be very conclusive.
Even unrolled, the X 2021 fits well in one hand.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
By the way, we noticed that when it unfolds, the screen does not display more text, but the same text with a larger body.
Ditto when watching a video: when the screen stretches, the image stretches and benefits from a sort of zoom effect.
We can imagine the software treasures that Oppo had to deploy to achieve its goal.
A large screen of almost 19 cm to frame your photos.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
Another obvious vocation: entertainment.
As with its unfolded competitors from Samsung or Huawei, the unfolded screen of the X 2021 offers a viewing or playing surface largely sufficient to enjoy videos in optimal quality.
Although the definition of the OLED screen of Oppo's smartphone is unknown, the few video clips we were able to watch seem conclusive.
The ease with which the X 2021 can frame photos is also confusing.
And why not imagine the X 2021 with a small Bluetooth keyboard that would also allow it to be used in productivity during a trip?
Of course, for travel, we still have time ...
Find X III Pro in the crosshairs
One question remains: how fragile is the device?
With its flexible screen (therefore naturally very fragile), it is impossible to imagine it “naked” in a pocket, without protection.
We also imagine rather a necessary case with flap to protect the front surface of the smartphone, rather than a simple shell.
And for the moment, it is impossible to know if a commercial version of the X 2021 would be waterproof or not.
Nevertheless: this coup de force from the Oppo brand goes far beyond the simple fantasy of an engineer, and opens the field of possibilities to new uses.
The X 2021 and Find X II Pro from Oppo.
- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES
Make no mistake about it: by reaffirming in mid-February its technical know-how and its ability to innovate, by creating a buzz in the media with its roll-up smartphone, therefore by developing its notoriety, Oppo is rolling out the red carpet in front of its next premium smartphone.
The manufacturer confirmed it to us: its Find X III Pro arrives at the beginning of March.
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