Maybe a cool power bank and a modest case. But how about a secondary screen on the back of your handset?!
There’s a $49.99 case from Rollme that equips the iPhone 17 Pro Max with a 1.85-inch HD display on its back. So, if you want to submit yourself to even more notifications and mobile alerts, you can totally do it.
A fresh take on a fresh trend
The Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max came with built-in mini displays on their camera island – now, these are flagship handsets and the displays look and feel way cooler:
Apple and Samsung still haven’t gone down that path. | Image by Xiaomi
Then, we reported that both Honor and Oppo were cooking up magnetic rear mini displays:
This seems to be the next trend. | Image by Fixed-focus digital cameras account on Weibo
Of them all, the case option seems the most practical to me. Xiaomi’s take on the built-in display is a bit too binding (plus, these are proper flagships, which means they’re expensive). The detachable magnetic displays by Honor and Oppo are grinding my gears because they’re one more gadget to carry around (and to lose).
But the case? Well, it’s the best of both worlds – you throw your phone in without having to worry about losing your rear display. When you grow out of it, you simply change the case. A brilliant idea.
Modest specs, but what did you expect?
Will you buy one? | Image by Rollme
Seriously, $50 is almost nothing, especially in big cities in the US. The fact that there’s a phone case with an actual built-in mini display is remarkable enough.
So what if the VisionCase (that’s what the company calls it) comes with a modest 400 mAh battery and a 360 x 360 resolution?! What do you want, an 8K OLED with PWM dimming, 5,000 nits of brightness and 240 Hz refresh rate? Come on, $50 isn’t even enough for two tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
So should I go for it?
I’d say no. That’s because I happen to be overdosing on screens way too often – one more display around me is precisely what I don’t need in my life.
But your needs and wishes may be different from mine. If you want it, you’ve got it: the good news is that it’s super cheap and even if you ditch it some months later, you won’t lose any sleep over it. The bad news is that you’ve got to have an iPhone 17 Pro Max to fit this case.
What to use it for?
This case with a built-in mini screen is made with the intention to show you more notifications, but that’s not the end of it. You can see who’s calling you without lifting your phone if its display is facing the table. Now, you can take ignoring calls to a new level.
This applies to system notifications, SMS rings and other apps. There’s a voice recorder feature – this one looks practical, especially in light of the fact that it can be turned on with a single tap.
There’s an 8-color auto-rotation mode, too. This one cycles “eight vibrant colors” for a “lively and eye-catching visual experience”. Translated to everyday language, this means that you’ll be able to show off the bright red circle on the back of your iPhone to your friends. Oh, look, now it’s green!
Better selfies for sure
Credit where credit is due, the VisionCase’s mini display will be perfect for taking proper selfies without rear cameras, which are more advanced than the front-facing one.
