Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
đ Good day, and welcome back to the Daily Authority. Somehow itâs Monday again and nearly the end of February. Where has the time gone? Before I waste any more of it, letâs get straight into todayâs top story from MWC 2023.
We go hands on with Motorolaâs rizr
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Motorola brought the conceptual heat to a chilly Barcelona with its latest rollable phone concept. Dubbed the Motorola rizr, the phone caught Ritaâs eye. Here are her thoughts after spending an afternoon with the device.
rizr basics
- Motorola showcased a concept rollable phone back in October 2022.
- This week, at MWC 2023, the company provided us with a working concept.
- Called the rizr rollable phone concept, the device has a wonderfully compact form factor, but when you need more display, it momentarily scrolls out extra screen and tucks away when youâre done.
- Rollable phones are generally more ergonomic in theory than foldables, and the rizr proves this in practice.
Watch me roll
- The Motorola rizrâs party piece is its 5-inch 15:9 POLED display.
- In this form, the phone is tiny compared to modern flagships that often pack 6-inch-and-above displays.
- The screen also wraps around the back of the phone, covering a third of its rear plate.
- This âsecondaryâ display can be used as an always-on notifications panel or a camera preview display.
- When the power button is tapped twice, most of this rear panel rolls up to the front of the phone.
- This extends the screen to a much roomier 22:9 6.5-inch panel.
- All in all, this process takes around three seconds.
- Notably, Android accommodates the larger display by realigning icons and stretching apps.
- At this size, the rizr feels much more like a traditional flagship.
- If you double-tap the power button once again, the screen retracts.
- âIt can also drop down a little further to reveal the front-facing camera and speaker grille,â says Rita.
Questions remain
- Rollable phones have yet to hit the mass market, and many questions remain.
- The rizr packs a minor 3,000mAh battery, which may not be enough to power you through the day.
- Thereâs also doubt over the form factorâs ruggedness.
- Motorola kept the rizr in a case for the duration of Ritaâs hands-on.
- âWithout it, the display would be entirely bare on the bottom and back, meaning you couldnât put it down on a surface without worrying about how many dust particles were on there,â she notes.
- As for when the rizr will debut, that remains unknown.
- Motorolaâs 312 Labs division targets a âcouple of years ahead,â but that remains to be seen.
- We had already seen concepts from LG and Oppo a few years ago, so the technology is there.
- But is it truly ready?
- Overall, weâre fully behind rollable phones and hope they land sooner rather than later.
Monday meme
No lessons or helpful links this week, just a glimpse into ChatGPTâs dread when we poke it with a keyboard.
Have a great day,
Andy Walker, Editor.