Motorola experimenting with its first rollable smartphone

Motorola is reportedly working on its first ever rollable phone. The device, currently in its very early stages of development with no working prototype yet, will likely try to distinguish itself from the competition with a unique form-factor and a vertical roll-out.

As foldables are becoming ever more sophisticated with each new generation, the next frontier in mobile technology is already here - rollables. And while everybody is busy discussing the much-anticipated next addition to the Razr lineup, there is something even more exciting on the horizon from Motorola.

In a report published by 91mobiles, tipster Evan Blass gave information that points to the company’s first rollable phone, code-named Felix. The device will likely draw inspiration from the design of the Razr, and will follow a similar philosophy. Motorola’s foldable has never sought to compete with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold lineup.

That is to say that the Motorola Razr does not incorporate a foldable screen for the purpose of trying to offer a 2 in 1 tablet/smartphone experience. The majority of foldables and virtually all rollables seek to use the flexible screen as a way of giving the user a choice between two options - one that maximizes portability (rolled and folded) and one that maximizes productivity (unrolled and unfolded).

By the looks of it, just as the Motorola Razr forgoes the latter part of the equation, its rollable phone will follow suit and pursue a similar direction. Essentially, the Motorola rollable will extend vertically to become a normal-sized screen. When rolled, it will be as pocket friendly as possible (likely, at the expense of functionality), with a third of the screen wrapped around a spindle at the bottom.

Rollables are still in their nascent stages of development. It will take a bit of time and experimentation before the technology has been refined. Luckily, even this early on, companies like Motorola are already defying expectations. That is without question a good thing.