Samsung and Vivo aren’t the only smartphone makers that are mulling on innovative technologies to be implemented in their potential future releases. Following the OPPO X 2021 handset, OPPO has recently shown off another new concept smartphone featuring a “sliding mechanic” with four hinges, which allows it to be utilised in different modes.
The new concept is a collaboration between the company and Japanese design studio Nendo during the 4th China International Industrial Design Expo (CIIDE). According to a press statement by OPPO, the “slide-phone” design is a result from exploring the possibilities of future design and the idea of providing more functionality to users via a single device.
From the images provided, the upper half of the smartphone features four hinges which allows it to be folded into different states. The term “slide” is used due to the way it is intended to be used; that is by sliding the “upper cover” upwards which would open up the lower touchscreen display part by part, and eventually revealing the phone’s full vertical touchscreen form. In its folded mode, the concept device is shown to be palm-sized – no larger than the dimensions of a credit card.
OPPO suggests that the phone can be utilised in various ways, depending on which form it is currently in. Examples provided by the company shows the concept device to be able to display three different app windows simultaneously, and also viewing videos in ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio. The company added that it would also feature an integrated stylus, similar to those found in the Samsung Galaxy Note series.
Besides the slide-phone, both OPPO and Nendo also showcased other concept devices such as TWS earbuds that can be connected to each other, a charging case, or a smartwatch for storage purposes. There are also renders of a smart speaker system and several charging docks as well.
The collaboration between the two companies reveals an interesting design language that take innovations with familiar devices to a new level. However, as it stands, these are merely concepts and may not see an actual commercial release anytime soon, let alone production.
(Source: OPPO press release)
