2021: The Year of Rollable Phones... Will They Become an Alternative Surpassing Foldables?

LG and Samsung Join the Battle... Rollable Era Begins Next Year
Only Part of the Screen Exposed, Offering Durability Freedom
Chinese Manufacturers Also Join In

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The era of rollable phones will unfold in 2021. Just two years after the arrival of foldable smartphones, a new form factor market is opening. There is growing interest in whether this could emerge as an alternative surpassing foldables.

Smartphone manufacturers have been researching for years to introduce form factors that allow larger screens to be conveniently portable. Foldable smartphones were the first alternative, and the second alternative is the rollable phone. Manufacturers such as LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, TCL, and Oppo are developing rollable smartphones.

Foldable smartphones fold the screen when carried instead of using the entire screen flat. The screen does not fold completely flat, leaving crease marks, and for durability, it must be protected again with materials like ultra-thin glass. Infolding foldable phones, which fold the screen inward, require an additional external screen when folded, making them more expensive, whereas rollable phones use only one screen like outfolding types, making them somewhat more economical.

Rollable phones always display part of the screen, but use one or two motors to extend the hidden screen when needed and roll it back up for compact use. Since rollable phones have not been commercially released, their drawbacks are relatively less known, and the technology implementation is expected to be challenging. IT media SlashGear explained, "Rollables can be rolled or bent with a larger radius than foldables depending on the design, and manufacturers can make the surface more robust to enhance the durability of the exposed screen area."

Rendering image of LG Rollable smartphone created by Letsgodigital

LG Electronics' ambitious 'Rollable Phone' is under development with a target release as early as March. Recently, Google revealed an emulator (a program that allows mobile systems to operate identically on PCs) for application developers on the Android developer site, partially disclosing the specifications of the rollable phone.

The LG Rollable Phone features a 6.8-inch display that extends to the right, expanding up to 7.4 inches. It includes a function to change the aspect ratio according to usage scenarios such as phone mode (20:9), video mode (16:9), and productivity mode (3:2). It is expected to be equipped with Qualcomm's new chipset, the Snapdragon 888, a 4200mAh battery capacity, and 16GB of RAM. LG Electronics has registered the trademark 'LG Rollable' in the US, Europe, and Korea. The rollable phone is also likely to be named 'LG Rollable.'

On November 12, Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics (second from the left), held a design strategy meeting at the Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu to review the design vision and other matters. Vice Chairman Lee is examining the design related to next-generation mobile devices. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics is also developing a rollable smartphone. Although it has never officially confirmed the development, it is widely accepted in the industry that it is underway. Samsung previously revealed concept images related to rollables at CES in January 2013. IT media LetsGoDigital reported that Samsung is developing a rollable phone named 'Galaxy Z Roll.' LetsGoDigital predicted that the screen would expand from around 6 inches to 8 inches and that it would also support the S Pen.

Last month, a smartphone presumed to be rollable was spotted at a design strategy meeting attended by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong. He was holding a device thicker than a regular smartphone but thinner than a foldable product. A person beside him was also making a gesture of sliding the smartphone upwards, leading to speculation that it was an 'expandable phone.'

Earlier in 2019, Samsung Electronics filed a patent related to expandable displays with the World Intellectual Property Organization. When the smartphone is pulled upward, the screen rolled up on the back extends, allowing the screen to be lengthened. In a January article last year, Kim Hak-yong, Executive Vice President and Head of Visual Development Team at Samsung Electronics' Wireless Business Division, explained, "Devices that can variably transform forms such as rollable or stretchable displays have entered the realization stage."

Chinese manufacturers are also eyeing the rollable phone market. TCL is expected to commercialize rollable phones. Oppo unveiled a rollable phone prototype, the 'Oppo X 2021,' which can expand from 6.7 inches to 7.4 inches, but it is anticipated that actual commercialization and mass production will take considerable time.

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