Just when phones were starting to feel stale in terms of design options, we saw the introduction of folding-screen smartphones such as the Galaxy Z Fold. Then dual-screen phones made a comeback in 2020, with the Microsoft Surface Duo and the T-shaped LG Wing.
As for the name of the phone, we knew since November 2020 that LG had filed a trademark in the European Union for the names "LG Rollable" and "LG Slide". On January 11, 2021, LG showed the following teaser confirming the LG Rollable name to indeed be the one:
Although we've never had official information on how much the LG Rollable might cost, we've come to expect high prices of smartphones that introduce new technology to the market. Those, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Motorola Razr 2020 and Microsoft Surface Duo range anywhere between $1,400 and $2,000. The LG Rollable/Slide could have easily cost between $1,400 and $2,000.
The LG Rollable phone will feature a flexible OLED display, which as the phone's name suggests, will be able to roll inside the housing of the phone when the user needs a normal-sized, pocketable phone experience. When the user needs it to become a tablet, the LG Rollable's display will automatically roll out (via a motorized mechanism), turning the smartphone into about a 7.4-inch tablet.
Thanks to the fact that this is a sliding-display phone and not a foldable, there will be no crease in the middle of its screen, like we've come to expect from folding phones. The LG Rollable phone's display does not just have one single bending point.
Below is an image from an older LG rollable phone patent, showing an earlier, more rounded design that was likely considered for the phone.
An image from LG's older rollable phone patent
In addition, below is possibly an alternative LG Rollable design, sporting a smaller outer display. This image comes from yet another LG patent that surfaced on February 12th.
On April 6th, 2021, the following Tweet appeared to show what the LG Rollable would've looked like, suggesting that the phone was in either fully or nearly completed state.
The phone will run Android 10 or possibly 11, with its interface smoothly adapting to the display's rolled-out and rolled-in states and adjusting to how the user holds the phone in terms of orientation. When the display is rolled into the body of the phone, the LG Rollable will function just as a normal-sized Android smartphone. And when the display is rolled out, the phone is likely going to allow for a seamless multi-tasking experience with multiple open apps, if the user needs it. If not, the phone will simply display a single app or video or game on a larger scale.
Here is a demonstration of how the Android operating system will adapt to rollable smartphones like the LG Rollable, in both their "standard" and rolled out display modes:
As suggested by its most recent patent, the LG Rollable may not have physical volume buttons, but will rely on software touch controls. The more recent patent of an LG rollable phone also shows a vertical camera module holding three cameras, at least one of which will likely be wide-angle.
Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.
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