Motorola Rizr Concept With Rollable Display Spotted at MWC 2023: Report

Motorola when it comes to foldables still appears to stick to its clamshell design, which is based on its original clamshell feature phone, the Razr (V3), which was announced back in 2003. With the current gen Motorola Razr 2022 foldable that features two displays, including one inner folding display, is still exclusive to China and the company has now reportedly showcased a new rollable concept at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023). Motorola is said to have branded the handset as the “Rizr” and while it’s still a concept device, it could give us a glimpse of things to come.

According to Twitter user Ben Wood, the device is still in the concept stage, even though a functional working concept was showcased at the unveiling. As the source points out, the name of the smartphone has not been finalised yet, but according to Android Police it’s been referred to as the Rizr as it goes with the sliding form factor of the older feature phone. While hands-on demos have been provided, Motorola has revealed very little about this prototype’s specifications.

From various reports, it is known that the device that has been showcased at MWC2023 has a 5-inch POLED display with a 15:9 aspect ratio that can reportedly expand to 6.5-inches (in a 22:9 aspect ratio) when needed. The part of the display that’s not in use when rolled up, is said to wrap around the bottom and slides up on the back over the rear panel. So, when flipped over, the rolled up display on the back is said to double up as a secondary display, which can be used for showing notifications, just like the outer display on a regular clamshell foldable.

The software interface has also been customised by Motorola to take advantage of the foldable display, as per the report. The interface and apps are said to stretch and change depending on the state of the display and is smart enough to adapt depending on the content being viewed or the app being used. For example, when in the YouTube app, the display is said to automatically expand when the device is held horizontally to showcase a video in fullscreen.

The rollable display is said to be driven by a small motor that takes up space in the phone, which is why the battery reportedly has a limited 3,000mAh capacity. The phone is quite thick (even with the transparent protective case on) and weighs 210g, as per the report, which is a bit heavier than an Apple iPhone 14 Pro. There appear to be two cameras on the back and a selfie camera along with a speaker grille and sensors are reportedly revealed when the rollable display on the front drops even further when placing calls or clicking selfies.