Samsung's first-generation Galaxy Fold might as well have been a concept device. It was incredibly fragile. The hinge would get jammed with dust and debris, breaking the plastic display. Suffice to say it could have been more durable. OPPO, at their first iteration of the phone-to-tablet design, seems to have nailed durability. The recently-introduced OPPO X 2021 can reportedly withstand more than 100,000 rollings.
OPPO hardware structural engineer Jin Xiang at a recent press conference said, OPPO X 2021 has been tested rigourously for 100,000 curls. 50 times a day shouldn't be a problem. It can be used for five years, and 100,000 times is not the limit. pic.twitter.com/OYMvRZJZEq
— Abdul Q. (@AndroidSaint) November 20, 2020
If you haven’t been following the story, the OPPO X 2021 adopts a new form factor. It can stretch out and transform into a 7.3” tablet in your hands — more importantly, the size can be increased in increments between 6.7” to 7.3”. Think of it as an adjustable screen with a sliding mechanism inside.
Since it doesn’t fold like a book, there are no creases to be seen or hinges to engineer. Plus, it removes the need for a secondary cover display. OPPO’s design is simpler. But more to the point, the manufacturer is dotting its i’s and crossing their t’s before putting the device into production.
At the event, OPPO engineer Jin Xiang announced that the OPPO X 2021 passed a rigorous test where its display was extended and retracted 100,000 times, and the product not just withstood it but was good for more. If this durability test is any guide, the OPPO X 2021 could easily have a five-year life, if you stretch it into its tablet form 50 times a day.
BOE Technology, the company that makes OPPO X 2021’s display notes that it’s fine-tuning the screen and ironing out any kinks before the phone goes into production sometime in 2022.
But LG and Samsung are quickly following suit with their own rollable devices and may beat OPPO to the punch. Despite who brings it first to the market, the OPPO X 2021 is a solid, futuristic piece of engineering.
