SAN FRANCISCO ― Many manufacturers have been working on flexible or even rollable screens for years. To date, the concept of expandable screens has only been used on TV sets. Now prototypes of PCs and smartphones with screens that can change size are also creating a sensation.
A few years ago, LG made jaws drop with the presentation of a giant TV with a rollable screen, which has since been made available at retail ― at a high price, of course. This technology could soon appear in other devices, judging from the concepts unveiled by Lenovo at the recent Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona.
The Chinese manufacturer, the largest seller of PCs in the world, exhibited a laptop model with a screen of 12.7 inches (4/3 format) that can be scaled up to 15.3 inches (8/9). Even more interesting is the possibility for it to transition from a landscape format to a portrait format. When fully unfolded, this model is equivalent to two 16/9 screens placed one on top of the other. And as Lenovo is the owner of Motorola, it chose this brand for demonstrating its Rizr concept, a smartphone able to switch from a 5-inch size (15/9) to a 6.5-inch format (22/9). In both cases, the switch is made by pressing a button located on the edge of the device.
In terms of its uses, this technology enables a device to be transformed from a classic PC into a large tablet. This format can also be useful when consulting certain websites, for video conferences or simply to work with several apps at the same time with greater visibility. As far as the smartphone is concerned, this type of screen is practical for watching videos, as it can easily be adapted to the content format. When writing an email, the larger screen can also make the keyboard more visible, making it easier to use. However, no mainstream product has been announced for the near future for either concept.
Of course, as far as smartphones are concerned, this is not the first time that a model with this type of technology has been presented at a major event. In 2021, LG made a big splash at CES in Las Vegas with a terminal with a rollable screen, without any follow-up to date. More recently, the same South Korean manufacturer even unveiled the world’s first flexible and expandable high-resolution screen, potentially leading to a host of new perspectives.
Mobile World Congress 2023 also hosted the unveiling of the augmented reality glasses of the future.
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