Motorola is taking advantage of MWC 2023 to present a prototype of a rollable smartphone that is as stunning as it is clever. We were able to take it in hand to share with you our first impressions (but also our fears).
Bluffing. We were able to discover the most exciting product of MWC 2023: a rollable (or rollable?) smartphone. A very impressive concept that we were able to take in hand and which is signed… Motorola.
I LOVE THIS CONCEPT ?
My MWC 2023 starts well! I’m talking to you about this roll-up smartphone (roll-up? ?) very soon on @Frandroid !!! pic.twitter.com/7EIxvOK7hu
— Omar Belkaab (@OmarBelkaab) February 26, 2023
A “Rizr” inspired by Razr
If we can read the mention “Rizr” on the back of the device, the latter does not have an official name. Motorola spokespersons simply speak of a “rollable proof of concept“. In other words, it is a prototype. Despite this, it has already left a strong impression on us as it was already well thought out.
The expandable smartphone first comes as a device with a 5-inch display in 15:9 aspect ratio. A double press on the power button located on the side and presto! The slab unrolls smoothly thanks to a motorized system and offers you a more classic 6.5-inch screen in 21:9.
The transition is smooth and really impresses. The opportunity to specify that the screen used is of the same ilk as on a folding Motorla Razr – it is quite logical, you need a flexible panel in both cases. However, as it is a rollable smartphone, we find the same principle as on the Oppo X 2021 prototype.
In other words, the screen will be stored in a dedicated space – and more or less hidden – at the back of the smartphone. Note that a small part remains visible at the back to, among other things, display the summary information of theAlways on display. It is only when you want to take advantage of the 6.5-inch diagonal that this hidden part at the back is deployed on the front face. Believe me, it does its bit.
A nifty software experience
Moreover, Motorola did not stop at simple hardware. The brand has already thought about a few uses around this format. Three examples come to mind: YouTube, Gmail and selfies.
Let’s start with YouTube. If you launch a video on the application while holding your smartphone vertically, you will not notice anything very particular. However, as soon as the device is tilted horizontally, it understands that the video must be displayed in full screen and automatically activates the extension of the panel. Go back to the home screen and the phone retracts itself. Smart.
On Gmail, the demonstration is also interesting. If you scroll through your inbox while the smartphone is in 5-inch format, it behaves normally. However, if you press the button to compose a new mail, the phone screen automatically rolls down to make room for the keyboard at the bottom. Again, that’s clever.
Finally, if you want to take a selfie, you can photograph yourself with the sensors located at the back to enjoy better quality and you will then have a screen return on the part of the screen that will be stored at the back. of the smartphone in order to strike the best pose.
However, if you do not want to return the smartphone, you can simply press the button to switch to the front camera.
But where is this hiding? Below the screen? Not quite. It only reveals itself if you activate the selfie mode: the screen unrolls very slightly, but down this time and that’s where the front camera can be seen. We find this same operation – with the screen which lowers by only a few millimeters – for calls.
Motorola rollable smartphone prototype at MWC 2023 // Source: Frandroid
Motorola rollable smartphone prototype at MWC 2023 // Source: Frandroid
Indeed, a thin speaker is housed next to the selfie camera so that you can easily make your calls with the compact shape of the smartphone.
The fears around this rollable smartphone
Certain fears obviously remain around this prototype. Can the on-board motorized system hold up over time without being damaged? The brand does not communicate on this subject. Still on durability, we can be concerned to see that the upper part of the smartphone, when it is unrolled, is particularly thin. It seems quite easy to accidentally break it there.
Finally, let’s highlight an uncomfortable detail: the noise generated by the smartphone when it rolls up or unrolls. The decibels are skyrocketing. We would obviously like a more discreet device.
All these questions are probably already in the heads of the Motorola teams, which obviously does not give an estimate of the release date for a potential finished and marketable model.
NB. Frandroid was able to take control of this product as part of a special program organized by Motorola for certain tech media.
Our journalist Omar Belkaab is in Barcelona to cover MWC 2023 in its entirety, but he is present there as part of a press trip organized by Honor.