Fold, Rotate, and More... The Form Factor Battle That Will Change 10 Years of Smartphones

Competition in Form Factor in Bar-Type Dominated Smartphone Market
Samsung, Motorola, and MS Join Foldable Camp
LG Electronics Prepares Rollable Phone Following 'Wing'

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The smartphone market, where the rectangular bar type has been considered the norm for over 10 years, is stirring. Following foldable phones, smartphones with rotating screens have appeared, and preparations are underway to launch products with a new rollable form factor.

Samsung Electronics and Motorola were the first to jump into the 'foldable' camp. Samsung Electronics introduced three foldable series up to the Galaxy Z Fold2. The Galaxy Z Fold2 received favorable reviews by overcoming previous concerns about display durability. Supporting a 7.6-inch main screen and a 6.2-inch cover screen with a 'Flex Mode' that allows it to stand at any angle, it succeeded in early sales with over 60,000 units pre-ordered despite its high price of 2,398,000 KRW.

Motorola announced plans to release the 'Moto Razr 5G,' a foldable phone with a 6.2-inch screen that folds vertically, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, priced in the 1.6 million KRW range. Microsoft also began selling the 'Surface Duo,' a dual-screen phone connected by a hinge with a 5.6-inch screen, starting on the 10th.

LG Electronics will launch the 'LG Wing' domestically in October, which features a screen that rotates 90 degrees to form a T-shape with two screens, following its dual-screen device. The LG Wing is a new smartphone design with a 6.8-inch main screen and a 3.9-inch second screen that can be rotated 90 degrees to form a T-shape. Equipped with a mobile hinge, it allows one-handed video recording or viewing, and multitasking is possible by utilizing the second screen. Although it has two screens, the weight is reduced to 260g, about 20g lighter than foldable phones.

Next year, we can expect to see 'rollable phones' competing with foldables. Rollable smartphones are characterized by being rolled up for portability and expanded when a large screen is needed. At the end of the LG Wing event on the 14th, the phrase 'Hold your breath' appeared along with an image hinting at a rollable smartphone. Although only the shape viewed from below against a black background was shown, the handle part opens and closes like a drawer, expanding the screen. Rumors about LG preparing a rollable phone have been widespread, but this is the first time the release plan has been officially announced. LG Electronics started the 'Explorer Project' to break away from the uniform bar-type smartphone market and plans to release the rollable phone as its second device.

IT specialist media Nine to Five Google commented, "LG is applying ideas from rollable OLED TVs to smartphones to offer expandable devices," adding, "It will be a much more useful form factor than the Wing, and it is surprising that LG has shown interesting scenes with smartphones."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.