OPPO is experimenting with rollable devices, but isn't ready to commercialise them yet, the manufacturer told WhistleOut at the global launch of the Find N3 last week.
"We're doing everything, I've seen [rollable devices] in our lab, but we don't just suddenly deliver new things if the quality is not commercial level," said OPPO's Head of Flagship Product, Peter Lee.
"Quality standard is kind of [OPPO's] whole poster philosophy and [that's not going to change]. This is very important."
OPPO revealed a rollable concept device in 2020 (pictured above and below, we managed to get hands on it with), but hasn't shown anything new in the field since, focusing on its Find N foldables instead. Rollables use the same principle as foldables, but a different execution. Instead of unfolding the phone to get a bigger screen, the screen unfurls from within the device's body.
The big challenge with rollables is the flexible display is constantly exposed. Flexible displays are less durable than a traditional screen and don't have the same kind of protection. They're typically covered in either plastic or ultra-thin glass, neither of which are as resilient as what you'd find on a typical phone. Foldable phones let you hide away the flexible display when you're not using it, but that's simply not possible on a rollable.
OPPO isn't the only manufacturer to have dabbled with the rollable form factor. Motorola is the most recent, with its Rizr concept phone. While OPPO's concept was a phone that became a tablet, the Rizr is a small 5-inch handset that expands to a more conventional 6.5-inch. LG also had a tablet-style rollable concept, but no longer makes phones.
OPPO's Head of Product Management, Arne Herkelmann, elaborated on Lee's answer, pointing to its approach to foldable phones.
"If you look back at the history of foldables, we specifically decided not to launch a product before we thought it was really ready," Herkelmann told WhistleOut.
"So the first, three, four generations of fold were scrapped internally before they reached the market. We decided to [launch] the Find N2 Flip later than the competition, yet it's our opinion that it's outperforming in some key areas."
"We really want to make sure the experience is right before we offer consumers something."
Looking a little closer, Lee told WhistleOut that the manufacturer wants to launch its next flagship phone - presumably the Find X7 Pro - globally. This year's Find X6 Pro was only available to purchase in China.
"We're discussing how to deliver our whole Find portfolio to the global market, this is actually our homework to solve," said Lee.
Disclosure: This author travelled to Singapore as a guest of OPPO Australia for the global launch of the Find N3
Alex Choros
Related Articles
