Motorola unveiled a prototype of a sliding-screen smartphone while attending the MWC 2023 Mobile World Congress, which kicked off yesterday (Monday) in Barcelona, Spain.
The prototype is called (Moto Rizr) and has a 5-inch screen with a 15:9 aspect ratio that can be enlarged to 6.5 inches with a 6.5-inch aspect ratio by double-clicking the power button. The ratio is 22:9. The goal is to increase productivity and multitasking on the big screen.
The screen produced by the Chinese company (BOE) is said to be made of pOLED material, which poses durability issues like all foldable and rollable displays.
Under normal circumstances, the screen wraps around the bottom edge of the device, leaving a small space on the back of the phone that can be used to check notifications or take photos. When you launch an app like YouTube or email, the screen automatically enlarges when the device is rotated to landscape mode.
Motorola's prototype weighs 210 grams and has a 3000 mAh battery. Moreover, the company hasn't announced any other specifications yet, but it might be interesting to see how they develop the concept further and launch it as a commercial product.
It is worth noting that Motorola, which was acquired by the Chinese company Lenovo for many years, is no longer a major player in the mobile phone industry as it was before, as it recorded 51 million mobile phone shipments in 2021, according to Statista data.
But like many companies, it tries to show off its ability to innovate with these designs to generate enthusiasm for smartphones, and the iteration leaves consumers interested in buying a new device.
That and the new model from Motorola come amid a slump in the smartphone market, which has seen sales drop 11% amid a turbulent global economy. Because of the lack of innovation in the market, consumers are less inclined to purchase new devices.