Much has been said in recent years about the idea that mobile hardware may have peaked, with smartphones being the most egregious culprits. This has led many tech enthusiasts, myself included, to latch onto the tiniest glimmer of something truly new. With many top Android smartphones getting incremental updates year after year, concept phones offer glimpses into a possible future and hope for gadget nerds. Three concept styles stand out to me, and I’ll reach for my wallet if they become available.
No Thanks, Keep Reading
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I don’t think it even matters, at least not today
3 Rollable
Just roll with it
The rolling phone concept has me the most excited. It offers the best way to fit a larger display into a small form factor without increasing the phone’s thickness like a foldable phone. A few variations of this idea have floated around, but none have gone on sale. That isn’t curbing my excitement for these devices.
Oppo showed off its concept, the Oppo X 2021, in 2020. This device looked like a typical 6.7-inch high-end slab smartphone that could roll out to offer a wider tablet-sized 7.4-inch screen. LG and Tecno gave us glimpses into their concept devices, following the same idea of expanding a traditionally styled smartphone to become a compact tablet.
Motorola surprised everyone at MWC 2023 by rolling out a concept phone called the Rizr. Aside from the cool factor of this device, it was one that Motorola was willing to allow journalists to touch in very controlled environments. Regardless, this phone goes from a short, compact smartphone that extends vertically into a standard-sized phone. When “collapsed,” the Rizr’s display rolls around the back of the device to offer a small display on the back and a compact display on the front.
I’m more inclined to gravitate toward the horizontal rolling phone idea that Oppo, LG, and Tecno have shown off. I also prefer book-style foldables over flips. While a more pocketable device like the Rizr has its place. The idea that I can get a full-sized phone and then expand it to a tablet offers more uses than a small screen that gets a bit taller. However, I’m game for either option if it becomes viable for mass production.
2 Folding
Give me more
There are already some great foldable phones. But now that I have a taste of what life with a smartphone that expands into a small tablet can be like, I want more and less.
In terms of what I want more of, that is a two-part answer. I want to see more companies offer foldable phones. This is a competition play to push each brand to do better. It can also spur new ideas since an OEM can’t redo the same thing every year and hope to remain relevant. Cough, cough, Samsung.
I want more screen real estate. That means having a phone small enough to fit into a pocket but open to a full-sized tablet. For that, we need more folds. There are working concepts around this idea from some heavy hitters in the tech space. Samsung has been testing this idea for a while after nailing the single-fold idea. The latest rumors suggest we might see a tri-fold Galaxy phone in early 2026.
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I didn’t understand the need for foldable phones until I saw the Huawei Mate XT
We have to pay a premium for a reason
On the other hand, Huawei sells a tri-fold smartphone in the Mate XT. Granted, it is in limited availability, China-only, and costs a staggering $2,800. However, it’s wild that someone can walk into a store and purchase such a futuristic device. Huawei packed all of its tech into a phone that can go from a 6.4-inch smartphone, unfolded to a 7.9-inch tablet, and then again to a 10.1-inch full-sized tablet. This is mouth-watering to me. When completely folded, it is thinner than the Motorola Razr+.
As for less, I want less thickness. The Mate XT is conquering that in a mostly concept form. Honor nailed it in its last two folding phones, recently the Magic V3. I want more attention from OEMs to make folding phones thinner, as that is one of the main drawbacks to foldables. They’re heavy and chunky.
1 Bendable
This one is just fun
The idea of a bendable smartphone is fun, but that’s about it. To me, it has the least room to be a mass-production smartphone. While I don’t think it makes sense as a smartphone, the technology and idea have plenty of uses outside of a phone.
I think the concept has the most promise in wearables. When Motorola showed off its bendable phone concept at MWC 2024, one use case the company showed was wearing the phone on your wrist. It requires using a wristband with magnets embedded and bending the phone so it forms on your wrist and sticks to the magnets. This isn’t the wearable I have in mind because it’s heavy and, in concept form, didn’t attach to the magnets well.
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I’m thinking of a smartwatch as a wearable. A display that forms to your wrist could offer more screen real estate, be lighter, and be more comfortable. Removing many of the components needed for a smartphone and creating a device tethered to a phone like a typical smartwatch could make it an amazing piece of wearable technology.
Not holding my breath
Many of these concepts have only been seen in CGI demo videos or carefully curated manufacturer videos. However, companies putting them out there to gauge interest is encouraging. These concepts are offered to the public so that we can analyze these devices and provide feedback on ways to improve and concerns that may not have been discovered.
Durability, battery life, cost, and other factors must be considered for these types of products. But that doesn’t stop me from being excited about what could be and ignoring all the red flags for now.
