Month: February 2023

The OnePlus that was founded in 2013 was a cautious company, deliberate in its release schedule. The Shenzhen-based firm would announce one to two phones a year, not hung up on being the first to market with new features. It was a cadence that allowed the company to distinguish itself, in part, through pricing, with products often priced hundreds of dollars less than flagships from Samsung and Apple.

The company’s focus on device quality hasn’t gone away — OnePlus still releases products that can compete with the biggest names in the space. Its release roadmap, on the other hand, is less measured. In January the firm unveiled its new flagship, the OnePlus 11. Earlier this month, the India-focused 11R arrived. These days, the company also offers last year’s 10T and 10 Pro, three budget Nord devices, five earbuds and a tablet. A new mechanical keyboard is on the way, ushering in a new “Featuring” series focus on product collaborations.

2023 will also see the release of OnePlus’ first foldable, delivering on the promise of “something phenomenal” teased at this month’s 11 launch event. Following yesterday’s MWC unveiling of the glowing liquid cooled OnePlus 11 concept, TechCrunch sat down with COO Kinder Liu to discuss, among other things, the company’s long-rumored entry into the category.

“We will release our foldable phone in the second half of this year,” Liu told TechCrunch through a translator. “It will also be a flagship phone, as with the other top-positioned products in our portfolio. That is the reason why we haven’t released any foldable phones in the past several years. Because we really wanted to release the best one.”

The sentiment harkens back to that deliberate release schedule that defined OnePlus’ early days. Samsung defined the form factor in 2019 with the release of the Galaxy Fold, refining the category with 2020’s Galaxy Z Flip. Last summer, it claimed to have sold nearly 10 million folding devices in the first three years of line.

Oppo’s Find N2 Flip at MWC 2023. Image Credits: Brian Heater

A little over a week ago, OnePlus parent Oppo released its own foldable device, the Find N2 Flip, which takes a cue from the Flip form factor. Asked about the design of OnePlus’ first foldable, Liu pushed his hands together, opening them like a book, appearing to confirm something more in line with the Fold.

Liu didn’t offer any further information on the product. Speaking more broadly about the company, the executive referenced the “support” the OnePlus has received operating as an Oppo-owned company. Such cross-brand collaborations could well point to why both are releasing their own take on the foldable this year. It may also explain why the two products have adopted distinctly different form factors, over fears of potentially cannibalizing sales in what is still a small niche in the smartphone market.

I spent time with the Oppo Find N2 Flip at this year’s MWC, and found it to be a solid foldable, which early reviews have thus far reflected. The product’s $1,025 price has also managed to significantly undercut Samsung’s Flip. Given OnePlus’ track record, it seems likely that the company will offer its own foldable at an aggressive price.

OnePlus’ first foldable will arrive in the second half of the year by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Three years after the debut of its wildly popular Razr phone, Motorola gave the world the Rizr. While beloved by many, the product never managed to capture the same level of cultural cache as its predecessor. The two devices shared some key design languge, with the Rizr distinguishing itself by way of a display that slid up to reveal the physical keyboard underneath.

A lot has changed in the 17 years since that product’s release, but following the Razr’s resurrection as a foldable, the now Lenovo-owned firm is bringing the Rizr back in concept form. As with the Razr, it’s clear why the company opted to kick the tires on the old brand. You could say the 2023 Rizr is a spiritual successor of sorts to the 2006 model.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

The new version trades the sliding action for a rolling screen (get it? “riser?”). We’ve seen proofs of concept for the technology in the past, largely as standalones. The concept is not entirely dissimilar from foldables, in that it’s screen technology designed to fit more phones in less space. By default, it sports a compact five-inch 15:9 screen. When certain apps are opened, gestures triggered or orientation change, it mechanically extends to 6.5 inches with a 22:9 aspect ratio.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

It’s a neat trick, for sure. But it’s worth noting that phone makers are increasingly following the lead of car companies by announcing concept devices. It’s a little about gauging consumer interest and a little about showing the public — and shareholders — that your R&D department is doing some innovative work — whether or not said work actually leads to a product in the end. See also: yesterday’s OnePlus 11 concept device.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

I will say that Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, has never been shy about bringing aggressive strange form factors to market, whether it’s an E Ink tablet or the ThinkPad X1 Fold, which is effectively a foldable phone in laptop form.

It does, however, raise plenty of questions, should this thing ever actually hit the market. Given what occurred in the earliest days of foldables, I’d say that durability is on the top of my list. You’ve got to make sure a device you’re selling to the public is capable of repeating that action hundreds of thousands of times.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

Will we see a productized version of the Rizr at next year’s MWC? I wouldn’t bank on it. But it’s also nice to see companies thinking outside the same old smartphone slate.

Motorola’s Rizr is back as a concept phone with a rollable screen by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Three years after the debut of its wildly popular Razr phone, Motorola gave the world the Rizr. While beloved by many, the product never managed to capture the same level of cultural cache as its predecessor. The two devices shared some key design languge, with the Rizr distinguishing itself by way of a display that slid up to reveal the physical keyboard underneath.

A lot has changed in the 17 years since that product’s release, but following the Razr’s resurrection as a foldable, the now Lenovo-owned firm is bringing the Rizr back in concept form. As with the Razr, it’s clear why the company opted to kick the tires on the old brand. You could say the 2023 Rizr is a spiritual successor of sorts to the 2006 model.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

The new version trades the sliding action for a rolling screen (get it? “riser?”). We’ve seen proofs of concept for the technology in the past, largely as standalones. The concept is not entirely dissimilar from foldables, in that it’s screen technology designed to fit more phones in less space. By default, it sports a compact five-inch 15:9 screen. When certain apps are opened, gestures triggered or orientation change, it mechanically extends to 6.5 inches with a 22:9 aspect ratio.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

It’s a neat trick, for sure. But it’s worth noting that phone makers are increasingly following the lead of car companies by announcing concept devices. It’s a little about gauging consumer interest and a little about showing the public — and shareholders — that your R&D department is doing some innovative work — whether or not said work actually leads to a product in the end. See also: yesterday’s OnePlus 11 concept device.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

I will say that Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo, has never been shy about bringing aggressive strange form factors to market, whether it’s an E Ink tablet or the ThinkPad X1 Fold, which is effectively a foldable phone in laptop form.

It does, however, raise plenty of questions, should this thing ever actually hit the market. Given what occurred in the earliest days of foldables, I’d say that durability is on the top of my list. You’ve got to make sure a device you’re selling to the public is capable of repeating that action hundreds of thousands of times.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

Will we see a productized version of the Rizr at next year’s MWC? I wouldn’t bank on it. But it’s also nice to see companies thinking outside the same old smartphone slate.

Motorola’s Rizr is back as a concept phone with a rollable screen by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Drones are quickly becoming more than flying selfie cameras. Amid growing geopolitical tensions, drone makers are seeing increased demand and acceptance as drones move farther from consumers’ hands.

Skydio today announced a $230 million Series E fundraising round and the construction of a new manufacturing facility in America. The company says it’s seen a 30x growth over the last three years and is now the largest drone manufacturer in the United States. The Series E round was led by Linse Capital, with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Next47, IVP, DoCoMo, Nvidia, the Walton Family Foundation and UP.Partners. Hercules Capital, and Axon, the company behind the Taser and police body cameras, also invested in Skydio.

Skydio says its drones are used in every branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, by over half of all U.S. State Departments of Transportation and by more than 200 public safety agencies in 47 states. But, of course, it helps that government agencies cannot purchase or use drones from the market leader DJI because of security concerns.

In a released statement, Skydio co-founder and CEO Adam Bry says the company sees “extraordinary demand globally from organizations addressing needs important to every citizen.” This includes, in his view, core industries such as transportation, public safety, energy, construction, communications, defense and more.

Skydio sets itself apart from the competition on its autonomous capabilities. The company had viral success with its original drone that featured a market-leading collision avoidance detection. The company still offers such capabilities but has pushed the industry forward with additional features and capabilities. Last December, Skydio announced a docking station and a new platform that allows drones to be flown without an on-site operator. Current regulations around visual piloting limit this product, but Skydio has a solution for that, too, and now works with companies to expand their drone programs.

The new Skydio manufacturing facility is based in Hayward, California. The facility is 36,000 square feet, a 10x increase in capacity over current levels. In addition, the company expects to hire 150 manufacturing employees to staff the new facility.

Skydio soars to a $2.2 billion valuation after raising $230M Series E by Matt Burns originally published on TechCrunch