Oppo yesterday officially showed the first prototypes of theOppo X 2021, a smartphone that, if you trust the name, could arrive on the market by the end of this year.
The key point, the only one worth talking about, is the opening mechanism. In fact, the Oppo X 2021 hides a flexible screen and a “rolling” mechanism thanks to which the screen can go from 6,7 to 7,4 inches.
The passage is activated by pressing the power button. There are two ways: either a double click, or a swipe: up to open the phone and down to close it. It is not easy to learn but it works: I have failed most of my attempts but the representatives of Oppo did not have the slightest problem, a sign that it is just a matter of getting used to it.
To the touch it is a screen like any other, smooth and responsive. In both configurations, although when opened there is a very slight bump along the left side. A difficult thing to notice, which does not compromise the final result in the visualization.
When opened, the Oppo X 2021 feels truly incredible. Yes, because the smartphone opens in width and you hear the screen unwind and scroll under the fingers. Really impressive, at least for now; although the surprise effect is likely to fade soon.
The system obviously uses a flexible panel (almost certainly a POLED). The mechanism is decidedly refined: the two motors, one on each side, guarantee a smooth transition. The movement is supported by a generously sized axis, a good 6,8 mm in diameter. And under the screen there is a comb plate that guarantees structural stability when the smartphone is open.
Are the leaflets already obsolete?
The idea of Oppo X 2021 is the same as Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, Samsung Galaxy Flip or Moto RAZR 2020. That is to say to have a phone, relatively small, which can become a tablet if necessary.
Except that Samsung and Motorola have used folding and this leads to a more or less visible line in the middle of the screen. The RAZR is probably preferable due to the second screen.
The point is that Oppo got a better result, or at least that's what it looks like from the prototype. The screen is uniform and more ergonomic than the other solutions, and the opening mechanism is completely convincing.
When you want to watch videos or play games, or even read, the nearly 8-inch screen of the Oppo X 2021 can make all the difference.
The price to pay is that it is by no means a compact smartphone, due to its 6,7-inch screen. We are in the order of magnitude of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max; but Oppo X 2021, with about 200 grams of weight, is a little lighter than the other two smartphones mentioned.
Oppo X 2021, specifications, price and availability
At the moment there are no specifics to tell. The prototype we tested had a 48MP TOF camera, and lacked the front one. All the details (processor, RAM, battery…) are provisional and will be confirmed in the coming months.
No information even on availability and price: considering the name we can think that it will be released within this year, but for now it is not known how much it will cost. One thing is certain: it won't be cheap at all.
Surely you can take the price of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra as a (vague) reference point: the top of the South Korean range costs roughly 1.200 euros. It is unlikely that Oppo X 2021, with a larger and rollable screen, can cost less than that.
Oppo A91, smartphone with 6,7 ”AMOLED display, 128GB of expandable internal memory, 8GB of RAM and a 4025mAh battery, is on offer on Amazon.
