Google, Oppo and Nubia’s 2021 Resolutions? Origami and Transparent Phones

Next year, foldables will really claim their spot on the phone scene, and wildcards like origami phones and transparent handsets will show up. If we’re lucky, 2021 will be the year of dares, of broken rules and game changers. 

If I told you Google, Oppo, Nubia, and LG will be frontrunners on this, what would you think?

By origami, I mean a phone that folds into a wallet. 

And by transparent, I mean another that could go commando at the push of a button. 

Oppo’s Origami Phone

Believe it or not, these quirky ideas are set to become reality in 2021. For the origami phone, Oppo teamed up with a design studio in Japan, Nendo. Together they imagined a phone that folds in three until it’s the size of a card holder, a slim, tiny wallet. 

Unfolded, it measures around 7-inches and it’s 3.3-inches wide. That’s narrow! Maybe… too narrow? I can see its use when you’re reading something or scrolling through Instagram but landscape-wise… not so sure. 

You would be able to position it horizontally and watch videos… but it would still feel off. 

Unlike a regular foldable phone, this origami phone can take up to seven different sizes depending on how you fold it.

The first fold shows you only time, call history, music player, and notifications. With more unfolds, you discover the camera and more.

LG’s Rollable Phone

If Oppo debuts the origami design, what will LG do? Continue innovating. The Wing was this year’s surprise so for next year, they’re committed to a rollable handset. 

Just like their TV, this one should stretch from a 6.8-inch screen to a 7.4-inch one. Plus, and that’s a big plus, this design has no risk of creases. It just simply glides up! Honestly, if LG pulls this off, 2021 is gonna be their year!

Nubia’s Transparent Handset

But who is coming up with the transparent phone? Not Google… but Nubia.

Nubia’s next Red Magic is gonna play with an electrochromic back panel. That’s basically tintable glass, the kind that obscures and reveals at the whim of the user. Well, Nubia is gonna use that type of glass for the back of the Red Magic 6. The glass will show the internals at the push of a button. 

So what will Google do? Check the video above to find out!