persuasion : Back at MWC 2023 , I get to play with the then - new Motorola rollable concept , a squared - off headphone that could extend its display to a regular 16:9 aspect ratio on demand .
Fast forward a class toMWC 2024and Tecno has taken up the rollable mantle with what I think is the most refined rollable concept phone yet – but I ’m still not totally convinced that it ’s something consumer want or need . In its current var. , anyway .
Let ’s start with last year’sMotorola rollable conception . It was something I was very impressed with at the time , having not previously see the technical school in action for myself . It was still an early prototype , however , and there were a few key issues with the ironware during my demo .
Not only was the screen extension middling easy , taking multiple seconds , but the bulge thin display was just asking to be photograph , lacking any real protection from the feather - off chassis .
That ’s why I was so shocked that , just a year on , Chinese manufacturer Tecno burst onto the rollable scene with its Tecno Phantom Ultimate concept . It ’s a completely different design to the conception from Motorola , alternatively offering regular smartphone property that , with either the push of a consecrate button or a side - swipe with three fingers , can stretch horizontally rather than vertically .
Tecno ’s filmdom thrive tech is far more telling too ; it felt unseamed in purpose with a smooth screen extension while sitting well in my hand . At just 1.3 seconds to protract and recant , it ’s the fastest rollable concept around aright now . The main show is just about as premium asfoldablesget in 2024 , with the extra bit of rollable screen double up as a rear showing for notifications when not fully flesh out .
It also does n’t experience that dissimilar to a regular phone in its rolled - up modality , helped by the fact it quantify in at a fairly chunky , but still not massively thick , 9.9 mm .
When unrolled , the marvellous and narrow presentation widen to something consanguineal to a 4:3 facial expression proportion , one which Tecno arrogate is much better for multitasking than your even candybar screen .
The rep I spoke with gave examples like being capable to view both photos and album lists in the Gallery app with the extended display dynamic , and I ideate it ’d be ready to hand for split - covert multitasking , though there is n’t really anything it could put up that a foldable or a tablet could n’t – and that ’s my problem with the construct . It just does n’t seem to fix any real issues in its current form .
The power to get an extra half an inch on your sieve does n’t really seem worth the current patronage - offs to durability and underground , and I ideate that if / when these begin to seem , they ’ll be likewise priced to top - oddment foldables . or else , I opine manufacturer need to thinkbigger .
In the same way that leger - style foldables offer a regular candybar experience when folded and a lozenge - esque experience when blossom out , I cerebrate manufacturers really need to lean into the propagation technical school to ply a alike phone - tablet hybrid .
In an ideal world , it ’d be able to extend by quite a bit – inch , rather than centimeter – to really transform what you may do with the twist , whether that ’s schism - sieve multitasking or simply enjoying a cinema on a tumid screen .
I imagine that ’s still quite a way off , but considering the leaps and trammel that the applied science has come in along in the retiring class , we might not bethatfar off from visualise the first rollable hit the market . The question is , will they be headphone - sized or pad of paper - sized ?
