Another Android flagship is embracing the wide-format trend, but with a twist

Smartphone makers finally seem ready to experiment beyond thinner phones and bigger camera bumps. Wider displays seem to be gaining popularity, especially after Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We’ve since seen Apple take a similar approach with the iPhone Duo, followed by Xiaomi’s 18 Fold and Motorola’s Razr Flex. Now, OPPO appears to be exploring the idea as well, though it may take a slightly different route with a flagship smartphone rather than a foldable.

According to a recent Weibo post from tipster Digital Chat Station, OPPO is reportedly developing a wide-format flagship smartphone with a 16:9 display. That might not sound particularly exciting at first, but think about the last time you watched a YouTube video in landscape mode on your phone. Chances are, you had black bars on either side of the video, and zooming in meant cutting off parts of the picture. Since most YouTube videos use a 16:9 aspect ratio, a screen with the same proportions could make them much better to watch.

And OPPO isn’t stopping at changing the screen’s shape. The leak also mentions LIPO display technology, which could allow the company to keep the bezels incredibly thin and uniform at around 1mm on all four sides. The phone is also expected to measure about 81mm wide, making it noticeably wider than most conventional smartphones.

Tipster Ice Universe also shared Digital Chat Station’s findings, along with an image he created to give us a better idea of what OPPO’s wider smartphone could look like.

I’m particularly interested in seeing how this design translates to daily use. A wider screen could be great for watching videos, gaming, or even typing, especially if OPPO keeps the overall size relatively compact. Of course, there’s also the question of whether that extra width would make the phone less comfortable to hold and use one-handed.

For now, there’s no word on what OPPO plans to call this phone or when it might launch. Still, it’s refreshing to see smartphone makers experimenting with different screen proportions. After years of phones looking and feeling increasingly similar, even a relatively simple change like this could make things a little more interesting.