Samsung is allegedly gearing up to launch the first mass-produced rollable phone. The Galaxy Z Slide was the star of the latest rumor and also a fan favorite in our latest poll. Apparently, people are ready for the next chapter in smartphone design.
Samsung Galaxy Z Slide wins our readers' hearts
Which Galaxy Z phone would you like to see the most next year?
In the usual poll we embed in our articles, people voted in favor of the Galaxy Z Slide, giving it a huge margin over the conventional folding models we've all gotten used to.
More than 43% of all voters want to see the Galaxy Z Slide next year, crushing the Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra (7.81%), the Galaxy Z Fold 9 (3.82%), and the Galaxy Z Flip 9 (3.11%).
The closest Galaxy Z rival in this bunch is another new form factor that Samsung is planning to revive next year.
The Galaxy Z TriFold 2 might also turn out to be a good idea
The Galaxy Z TriFold is sold out, but a successor might be right around the corner. | Image by Samsung
Now, it seems that the company has had a change of heart, because the TriFold 2 is among the expected Galaxy Z models. And that might turn out to be a good call.
People are bored with smartphones, even foldable ones
The huge disparity in votes shows that people are already bored with normal foldable phones, even before their widespread market adoption. We've been waiting for the foldable revolution for years (almost a decade now), and this revolution might come with a completely different form factor: the rollable phone.
Samsung calls it the Galaxy Z Slide, and this reminds me of the old classic sliders from the 2000s. Other companies tested the waters with their own rollable prototypes back in 2020–2021, but the Galaxy Z Slide could become the first commercially available rollable design.
The rollable phone its sweet time
Oppo showed a rollable concept phone back in 2021. | Image by Oppo
The first design patents for rollable phones started popping up back in 2020. Actually, the patent that may turn into a commercial product in the form of the Galaxy Z Slide dates back to 2021 — more than five years ago.
The rollable design uses a motorized mechanism to extend the physical size of the phone, much like old-school sliders, but this time around, the screen unrolls and fills the extra space.
Motorola also had a similar design idea, actually closer to the older sliders than this Galaxy Z Slide design. The Motorola RIZR rolled upwards, making the phone taller rather than extending the screen sideways.
Pros and cons of the rollable design
Motorola showed the RIZR concept at MWC 2023. | Image by PhoneArena
The obvious advantage of this rollable design is the lack of a crease. The phone doesn't fold in half, and having the screen bent outward (much like the early Huawei Mate X) gives the screen enough radius to wrap around to avoid damage.
Extending the screen technically stretches it over the flat surface of the rollable phone, resulting in no crease.
The second advantage is that you don't need to physically fold and unfold the phone. The motorized mechanism does the heavy lifting; you only press a button. This could be huge, as one of the most annoying "features" of current foldables is the physical need to fold and unfold the device.
As for drawbacks, the biggest one is the motorized system. The more complex a mechanism is, the more it is prone to failure. The motors will also drain the battery, make the phone heavy, and make IP ratings very hard to achieve.
Last but not least, being a first-generation device of this new form factor, the Galaxy Z Slide could be quite expensive.
That said, I can't wait to see the Galaxy Z Slide!
Read more about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Slide here:
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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