Smartphones with rollable displays seem to be one of the big propositions companies are chasing. TCL showed off a rollable phone concept early last year, and OPPO also detailed its own rollable concept towards the end of 2020. Now, LG looks set to release its own rollable smartphone this year.
LG provided a very subtle hint at a rollable phone during its announcement of the LG Wing last September, but during its CES presentation yesterday, it showed what it called the LG Rollable in action for a couple of seconds. You can see the screen expanding to start the show and closing at the end, showing off the Rollable name.
While one might have assumed the device was nothing more than a concept, a report from Nikkei seems to indicate otherwise. An LG spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the product is slated for a release this year, though a more concrete date wasn"t given. According to the report, LG is working with BOE on the display technology to make the device come true, though the latter company hasn"t commented on the possibility.
Rollable displays are not actually new to LG, who introduced the first rollable TV at CES 2019, allowing users to retract the screen completely or use it in a variety of different sizes. Naturally, it"s not unreasonable to expect that technology to trickle down to smaller devices over time.