Alright, I don’t know why we would ever need a phone that stretches, but I assume there may be a market for that if there is a concept video for it! Meet the Oppo X 2021, a standard 6.7-inch smartphone. Or at least, that’s what it is at first glance. With a press of a button, it can expand in your hand to a 7.4-inch tablet! That’s like how ‘futuristic’ gadgets work in movies, right? The new ‘magical’ display is part of the evolving technology inside smartphones:
Over the past few years, modern displays in phones have evolved from LCDs to OLEDs, meaning a slightly different core technology is used to display information. That evolution comes with all sorts of benefits, like better contrast and lower power consumption. But it also comes with more experiments in form.
Without getting too in the weeds about these technologies (more background here), know that LCDs aren’t inherently flexible, while OLEDs are essentially paper-thin ribbons that can bend and carry pixels. Major companies have experimented with curved and flexible OLED gadgets for a decade now.
Image via Fast Company