OPPO has partnered with the design studio Nendo to offer its vision for the smartphone of the future. The result is a model that can be folded in three distinct ways, allowing more or less information to be displayed, to the user’s satisfaction.
Between two smartphone releases, OPPO does not forget to remind us that it remains fully invested in the future of smartphones. After a roll-up model presented recently at the OPPO Inno Day, the Chinese firm unveils a foldable smartphone project yet unpublished.
A THREE-HINGED SLIDE PHONE
The “slide phone” as OPPO calls it is a model that can be folded in several ways, thus offering various user experiences. Closed, the smartphone looks like a small camera, since the phone only reveals its photo modules. From a design standpoint, it is designed in several rectangles – 8 to be exact – which allows the folding to be adapted.
The idea is to be able to let the user choose the size of their screen depending on the situation. Unfolded once, the smartphone will be able to display the time and notifications.
Unfolded twice, it will turn into a compact smartphone with a very large front camera. By unfolding it a third time, this camera goes to the rear and becomes the back camera of the device.
When the upper and lower parts are juxtaposed, they would form a large horizontal screen. With such a screen length, we can imagine, above all, being able to put two applications side by side (or one below the other), in order to be able to consult two contents simultaneously. This arrangement would also propose consulting three applications simultaneously. In its video, OPPO uses a calendar, a notepad and a task manager as an example.
It is also interesting that OPPO and Nendo have planned to assign the physical buttons positioned on the side edge of the smartphone specific functions according to the hinges engaged. Lastly, this slide phone features a stylus, so you can take notes quickly by unfolding the screen like a notebook.
JUST A CONCEPT
If the idea sounds interesting to you, it’s still worth it to note that what OPPO has unveiled is still a concept for now. So this is not a product that the brand is ready to market at the moment. It is much more likely that Oppo will choose a more classic foldable smartphone in 2021, before offering the public its smartphone equipped with a roll-up panel.