Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 SCHOOLED by Oppo's wild new 2021 flagship

The Oppo X 2021 was teased earlier this week with a snazzy rolling screen that can smoothly enlarge at the press of a button. Elegant and futuristic, those of you smitten with this sliding screen technology are in luck, because the Oppo X 2021 may be coming much sooner than expected.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks to be one of the most impressive phones launching next year as it replaces the flagship Samsung Note series and paves the way for adjustable displays. But it's been overshadowed by the Oppo X 2021, with new leaks suggesting Oppo’s innovative design will release right around the same time.

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Twitter leaker Chun has claimed the Oppo X 2021 will launch in China in April next year, only a couple of months before the Galaxy Z Fold 3's expected June launch.

Although another renowned Twitter tipster, Ice Universe, expressed disbelief at the idea the Oppo X 2021 could launch so early, Chun claims his source received his information from people at Oppo Vietnam. This likely means that his source was receiving up-to-date information, although even Chun said we’ll have to wait and see if Oppo can really stick to such an early schedule.

The Oppo X 2021 looks like an impressive piece of tech. It’s expanded screen slides out from the phone’s side and increases the display from 6.7-inches to 7.4-inches. The screen can be expanded while the phone is in use, with apps resizing to appropriately fit the display’s changing dimensions.

There are no specs floating around and a front-facing camera is noticeably absent from the teaser videos, although this might be due to Oppo integrating its new under-display camera with the device.

Oppo might not be holding the crown of rolling screen tech for long. According to leakers, Samsung will release a rolling display smartphone that functions similarly to the Oppo X 2021 in the next couple of years, and LG is working on similar tech. Details for Samsung’s offering are sparse and leaks suggest the phone is only in its “laboratory stages”. 

With all of this going on, the next couple of years are exciting times for radical new smartphone designs. In the meantime, you can get the standard kind at a discount in the upcoming Cyber Monday deals.