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March 13, 2023

šŸ˜ Good day, and welcome back to the Daily Authority. So I have some apple news. I noticed a few lonely fellas in our fruit basket this morning, so Iā€™m considering baking a French apple cake for tea later. Excited! Until then, letā€™s talk about small phones.

Rollable screens: The small phone savior?

OPPO Rollable Phone Concept unrolled in hand
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

Weā€™ve seen quite a few rollable phones over the years. It was a trend made exciting by LGā€™s rollable, and Oppo soon jumped on board too. Whatā€™s so exciting about the format? Well, Rita argues that rollable screens could be the big break small smartphones have been waiting for.

  • Every manufacturer wants to cram as large a screen as possible into the smallest form factor.
  • This means that truly small modern smartphones are a thing of rarity.
  • However, there seems to be one exciting solution thatā€™s slowly coming into its own: rollable screens.

Why rollable screens make sense

  • The nature of a rollable phone allows for a relatively small form factor.
  • When more screen is needed, the device can expand as required.
  • However, most of the time, youā€™ll get a compact device.
  • This is no more evident than with the Motorola rizr.
  • The companyā€™s new rollable phone emulates its older, slider phone siblings. But instead of revealing a T9 keypad, the new phoneā€™s screen expands vertically to give you more screen.
  • This increases the display size from five inches to 6.5 inches.
  • Rita notes that this design ā€œcompletely changes the equation for small phones.ā€
  • ā€œThe first time I saw its display roll up, it felt like magic. Itā€™s been a while since Iā€™ve had this sense of awe with smartphones. And yet it also felt completely rational ā€” why had we not thought of this before?ā€ she notes.
  • While foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 arguably do the same thing, there are two problems with that design: thickness and outer display usability.

So, are rollable phones mainstream now?

  • No, not yet.
  • Rollable phones seemingly solve the issues that small phones possess, but the format isnā€™t quite figured out yet.
  • Durability remains a major concern, with the motorized roller system and screen being weak points.
  • Itā€™s also unclear how manufacturers would fit a large battery in a device that needs space for the display.
  • Once these problems are solved and the components catch up to the form factorā€™s requirements, we could see a future laden with small rollables.

Roundup

ā€¼ļøĀ Pixel 7a specs appear ahead of possible Google I/O launch: Big upgrades to the camera system and chipset tipped (Android Authority).

šŸ”‡Ā An average router ruined my smart home, especially my Nest speakers: Donā€™t settle on a weak router to govern your digital domain (Android Authority).

šŸ Ā Speaking of smart homes, hereā€™s how to build the ultimate Amazon Alexa-based system for your house (Android Authority).

šŸ†Ā Everything, Everywhere All at Once dominates the Oscars 2023: A complete list of winners and surprise snubs at the link (Variety).

šŸ’øĀ The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has left plenty of firms floundering. Hereā€™s what you need to know (The Verge).

šŸ“øĀ Review: This MagSafe grip made my Pixel 7 Pro feel like a DSLR camera (Android Authority).

šŸŽ¶Ā Everything old is new again: Sales of vinyl albums overtake CDs for the first time since the late ā€™80s (Ars Technica).

šŸ§Ā Hereā€™s one for South Park fans: What has the show been wrong about? (r/askreddit).

Monday meme

Finally, while Everything, Everywhere All at Once and All Quiet on the Western Front cleaned up at the Oscars, one Brendon Fraser got a nod. The Mummy legend won Best Actor for his role in The Whale, and the internet is understandably very, very happy about this.

Remember, you can catch some of Fraserā€™s iconic films and series on various streaming services, including Hulu and HBO Max.

Have a great day,

Andy Walker, Editor.

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