Who needs foldables? Sony said to be working on rollable Galaxy Fold rival

We’ve seen numerous foldable phone designs in recent months, with the big-name players offering interesting takes on the formula. Now, it seems Sony may be hard at work on a drastically different device.

According to tech tipster Max J. on Twitter, Sony is working on a rival to Samsung and HUAWEI’s devices, featuring a so-called Nautilus Design. The leaker attached a GIF from a 2016 video, showing a screen that rolls up akin to a scroll.

Max J. notes that the current prototype devices offer a 3,220mAh battery, an unannounced SM7250 chipset, an LG screen, and a 10x zoom camera. However, the tipster says retail versions could offer the Snapdragon 855 chipset and a Qualcomm X50 5G modem.

The combination of a large (albeit rollable) screen, 5G, and a 3,220mAh battery suggest very short standby times. But the leaker notes that these are only prototypes for now, so retail models could feature a bigger battery. You really have to hope that commercial units offer a bigger battery, otherwise you’re likely looking at less than a day of juice.

It’s unclear whether the Sony device will turn into a smartphone when rolled up, although we hope that is the case. After all, the lack of a phone form factor when rolled up means you only have a tablet that can fit into your pocket when not in use. That’s still a rather cool concept, but a tablet that rolls up into a phone seems more practical.

The Twitter tipster adds that the Sony device is set for release in December 2019 or early 2020. That means we could potentially be in for a bumper holiday season, as the Galaxy Fold and HUAWEI Mate X should be on the market by then.

Would you buy a smartphone with a roll-up display? Give us your thoughts in the comments!

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