Just what is Huawei up to on March 20? In a teaser posted online, it seems the technology company is going to announce a device with a rollable screen, which expands from one size out into another. Such a device has been seen only as a concept before, but if Huawei is making a big deal out of it before the event, this may be the first time we’re seeing a commercial device which may be on sale soon.
The video uses a clever analogy to get the point across. It shows someone swimming in an infinity pool which unexpectedly expands as they get to the edge, at which time everyone pushes the sides out into a wider space, and it suddenly becomes a far larger area to play around in. The video closes with a reference to 1610, which is likely to mean a 16:10 aspect ratio, a wider-than-widescreen format that was once a laptop standard.
This is where it does get a little confusing as Huawei makes smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and has its hand in televisions too for that matter, and all these have been shown off as concepts with rollable screens in the past. A 16:10 aspect ratio screen could apply to any of these products, so we shouldn’t automatically assume it’s for a smartphone. However, this is the logical choice as Huawei has already pushed the boundaries of screen technology with the trifold Huawei Mate XT.
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Little else is given away on the official Huawei mobile Weibo account, but it does call out the Pura smartphone range, along with a note on “intelligent driving” for the forthcoming event. Automotive is another area where Huawei is active. The event may be used to reveal multiple devices, with the Huawei Pocket 3 being teased by Huawei CEO Richard Yu recently. It’s expected to have an unusual 3:2 aspect ratio screen on the inside.
Motorola was the last big-name brand to really cause a stir with a rollable smartphone called the Rizr concept, but Samsung, Oppo, and Tecno have all been linked with the technology, and LG was working on a rollable device just before it closed down its mobile operations, plus it has demoed rollable televisions. Lenovo has wowed with a laptop where the screen rolls out to make a larger vertical viewing area. All this makes us excited to see what Huawei has in store for us during its March 20 event in China.