Samsung submits patent application on a rollable smartwatch

We've seen patents that reveal Samsung's work on phones with a rollable or slide-out screen. With the screen extended, the device becomes a tablet. With the display retracted, the device looks like any other regular run-of-the-mill smartphone.

The advantage is that, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 3's foldable display, a rollable phone doesn't sport a screen with a visible crease. That is a major issue with the foldables that open up to turn a smartphone into a tablet. Rollables are coming and LG might have introduced one this year had the company's smartphone business not gone belly up. Earlier this year a teaser video showed off the LG Rollable.

Samsung is not only working on a rollable phone, according to LetsGo Digital, but it is also developing a rollable smartwatch. The device looks like a regular Galaxy Watch with a display that features two parts on the top and bottom of the screen that can be expanded both independently or simultaneously.

The watch also is equipped with a camera located in the middle portion between the two "rollable" portions of the display that can take photos and record videos.Besides optional sensors that could be built into the watch, a flash also could be part of the watch's photography system

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A patent titled "Electronic device comprising rollable display and display method therefor" was submitted to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) on June 2, 2021. To expand the watch display, the user presses the crown on the side of the watch. When fully opened the screen is 40% larger than the size when closed. The screen can also be expanded or reduced by making a swiping gesture across the display.

When fully opened, the rollable Galaxy smartwatch has an oval shape allowing for additional content to appear. The user can decide whether he wants one side extended or both sides. This can also depend on a particular app being used. The large portion of the display (the part extended) could show the app while the part that is not extended can show the app controls.

As Lets Go Digital points out, the timepiece depicted in the patent is not the first to offer a flexible screen. That honor goes to the Nubia Alpha which was worn on the wrist but featured a long bendable display. The device featured a camera that could allow users to take part in a video chat, and also could make or take phone calls, get the time, set alarms, and more.

Nubia considered its device a replacement for the smartphone but it never really caught on, and Samsung was just releasing the Galaxy Fold that year. The latter took the spotlight away from the Nubia Alpha, and not for all the right reasons. It wasn't until the Galaxy Z Fold 2 when all of the issues that caused Galaxy Fold users to complain were fixed by Samsung. And last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3 was another big step in the right direction.

But let's return to the rollables since this is the platform that Samsung plans on using to allow smartwatch users to expand the screen size when needed. But keep in mind that things are a little different when talking about a rollable watch compared to a rollable phone. With the latter, you know when you need a tablet-sized screen and you also know when the smartphone-sized display is all you really need.

Can you say that there truly has been a time when you wished that your smartwatch display could be larger? Perhaps now that you can download a mini browser for your Apple Watch, a rollable watch screen could come in handy. But that is only one possible use to justify what would undoubtedly be an expensive device to buy.

Perhaps by the time a rollable smartwatch is released, there will be enough reasons for you to really desire a smartwatch with a display that you can expand. But for now, let's see how the first rollable phone plays in the court of public opinion.