The market for foldable smartphones is growing and doing so steadily. Brands like Samsung and Motorola have maintained a stronghold in the segment. While Oppo is prepping to roll out a new foldable smartphone called Oppo Find N 5G, Vivo seems to be following suit.
A recent patent application for a device with an extendable display suggests that the company could be planning to work on an ultra-premium range smartphone.
Reports published by 91Mobiles, indicate that the patent was filed by Vivo in May 2021 and was published on December 2. Considering the patent drawings, it can be figured out that the smartphone's extendable display will expand from the right side to increase the display size, which will help get more content on to a single screen.
However, rollable smartphones are not new as Oppo already shared a concept phone, Oppo X 2021 with a rollable screen. Reviewers and critics tested the device to check if the design was user-friendly. Some of them said a rollable smartphone is more convenient than foldable ones available in the market.
It remains to be seen whether phone makers themselves believe that the rollable smartphones has the potential to take over the foldable smartphones' market in the coming years. Until now, the Vivo has not uttered a word regarding the official release of its rollable smartphone. Of course, a patent filing doesn't always result in a device arriving in the market.
- Best Android phones 2021: which Google-powered phone should you buy?
- Best phones under Rs 50,000 in India
Vivo rollable phone functions
Vivo's new patent drawings show that the device rolls back to the standard size in case the screen is idle. Speculations are that the display will expand only when a few specific tasks are performed on the device like, using the camera, watching videos or while reading documents. The device could get a motor that will expand the screen when triggered.
Rumors suggest that Vivo can also enable the users to expand the screen manually when required. The USB Type-C port will be placed on the right spine and the speaker grille on the top. The back panel of the smartphone has a rectangular module to include multiple rear shooters. A punch hole cut out can also be seen in the patent drawings, most probably for the front camera placement.
For now, the design specifications on the drawings are at best suggestive and we believe that Vivo would not be ready at this point to get on to manufacturing them. So, availability is still very much a matter of speculations.
However, we do expect that in the near future, we may get to see Vivo's first rollable device.
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
