OPPO shows concept of ‘roller shutter’ phone with folding screen

Smartphone maker OPPO has shown a concept that the company created with the Japanese design studio nendo. It is a phone with a folding screen and a roller shutter-like system in front of it to show the required amount of screen.

Completely folded, the phone fits in the palm of the hand, while fully unfolded it looks much longer than a whole hand, according to the images that OPPO has put online. The manufacturer only shows renders, but it doesn’t look like there is a working prototype or even a plan to make a working prototype.

The concept should offer a solution for users who find phones too large and therefore only want a large screen if it is convenient. There are three screen sizes in total: a small screen for short interactions, a medium-sized screen for using the camera, for example, and the large, long screen running the entire length of the unfolded housing.

In addition to the concept for the phone, OPPO also shows a concept for earphones that fit together for easier storage and to click into a charger. The earbuds must pass their audio to a speaker when the user puts them on it. This is also a concept for which there are no concrete plans to put it into production. OPPO more often shows concepts that are not or not yet on the market, such as a smartphone with a retractable screen last month.