LG Rollable phone with rolling screen is real and will launch this year

At the CES 2021, one brand that is stealing the show is LG. Its display arm LG Display showed off invisible TVs, bendable TVs, and more. Now, LG is coming out as a smartphone behemoth and teasing its futuristic rollable phone. While the company had previously dropped hints about the device, this is the first time we are seeing the LG Rollable in its full glory. The LG Rollable has what the company calls a unique resizable screen, which shrinks or expands on the click of a button. In its default state, the device looks like a phone but with the screen entirely out, the LG Rollable turns into a tablet. And while it was believed to be a concept phone, LG went ahead and confirmed the Rollable is coming this year.

Our management wanted to show that it is a real product, as there were many rumours around the rollable phone,” an LG spokesperson in a statement told Nikkei. “As it is released at CES 2021, I can tell that it will be launched this year.” The report also mentions that LG is working with BOE Technology Group for the rollable display but there is no clarity on the tech that the company has used for the LG Rollable.

The new LG Rollable is a part of the company’s Explorer Project under which we also have the LG Wing with two displays that are superimposed on each other and work in bizarre ways. The LG Rollable is similar to the Oppo X 2021 that the company showed off last year at its INNO Day conferences. But there is a slightly different implementation between the two devices. Instead of expanding horizontally, the LG Rollable display expands vertically. And LG says there is more to explore with the LG Rollable device but it did not say what. However, we have the use cases from Oppo’s presentation of its rollable display phone.

The Oppo X 2021 will have its interface designed in a way that will morph dynamically to suit the various screen sizes. When the display is rolled out, the interface becomes more relaxed and includes more space between app icons. Video streaming apps such as YouTube work in the tablet mode when the screen is expanded but in case of a shrunk screen, the mobile app of YouTube is available. Oppo did not say how this was achieved but it surely involves a close partnership between the company and Google to optimise Android. The Android 11 already brings support for foldable displays, and the implementation for rolling displays may not be any different.

While Oppo X 2021 is still a concept phone, LG Rollable has transcended to become real. In a surprising move, LG confirmed that the LG Rollable is happening this year, giving momentum to the market for smartphones with rollable displays.

At the CES 2021, LG also showed off invisible and bendable TVs that define what will be next in the display industry. The invisible televisions from LG use transparent OLED panels with 40 per cent transparency. These TVs will not just be confined for home entertainment but also be used at restaurants, metro trains, and airport kiosks among others. The bendable TV, on the other hand, is adaptable. It normally has a flatscreen but the screen becomes curved from the edges at the click of a button.