Motorola working on hybrid smartphone project 'Felix' with rollable display

After introducing a retro Razr flip phone with a modern foldable display, Motorola is reportedly working on a hybrid smartphone with a rollable screen.

Lenovo-owned company is in the early stage of developing the new-age handset under the project titled 'Felix', said Evan Blass, known for his incredible track record of revealing juicy information about unreleased phones for more than a decade.

Unlike the concept phones shown by Samsung, Oppo, and LG, which unfurl rollable display horizontally, Motorola Felix's screen rolls vertically and Blass says, the prototype is far from ready.

And, the company engineers are also working on developing customised Android 12 software. Sources tell Blass that Motorola has modified a Moto Edge 30 series handset, to test the software and make it optimised for a phone with a vertical rollable display.

Samsung and LG which have been at the forefront of foldable mobile displays in the industry have long been working on such futuristic devices with a rollable display.

In January 2021, LG teased one such hybrid phone which can roll horizontally to open and close the display at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Las Vegas. Unfortunately, later in the year, the South Korean company exited the mobile business. So, the concept phone may never see the light of the day unless LG hands over the tech to a top bidder.

Must read | CES 2021: LG teases rollable display for phones

In September 2021, Samsung showcased a new foldable phone prototype with a double bendable screen. The phone's screen spreads over three panels held by two hinges, very similar to the one we see in the current crop of the Galaxy Z Fold3 series mobiles.

In November 2020, Oppo showed a concept phone X 2021, but there is no word on how much work has progressed to get a commercial model for consumers.

Must read | Concept phone Oppo X 2021 with rollable display revealed

However, all have the potential to bring a new revolution to the smartphone industry. In the last few years, barring Samsung, no company has been able to bring any innovation in phones.

Must read | iMiD 2021: Samsung showcases double foldable phone

With this kind of technology, companies are blurring the boundaries between smartphones and tablets.

If a device with 7.2-inch can fold in to compact form factor, people will go for this model, as they don't have to buy a phone and a tablet separately. We can message and make calls in phone mode and by unfurling the screen wider, we can watch movies on the device for long hours with less stress on the eyes.

The ultimate challenge will be how the company will manage to put the battery with protective film, that rolls along with the display of the phone.

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