The Screen Unfolds Smoothly... CES Eye-Catcher 'LG Rollable'

LG Electronics Releases Teaser Video Demonstrating LG Rollable Operation

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] LG Electronics has finalized the name of its rollable phone as 'LG Rollable' and even showcased a video demonstrating its operation. It has attracted attention as a new form factor that maintains portability while allowing the screen to be expanded when desired, potentially establishing itself as an alternative to foldable phones.

On the 11th, LG Electronics unveiled a teaser video of the LG Rollable at the CES 2021 press conference. At the beginning of the conference introducing LG Electronics' new technologies and products, a hand holding the LG Rollable appears. The upper part of the phone, held wide horizontally, rises as the rollable phone unfolds, and the screen shrinking back is shown twice in total during the closing part.

The name 'LG Rollable' was also finalized as the product name. At the end, as the speaker exits and the rollable phone's screen rolls back, the brand name 'LG Rollable' is displayed to announce the product name. The phrase 'More to Explore' appearing at the end of the conference hinted that the LG Rollable is part of the 'Explorer Project.' The Explorer Project refers to LG Electronics' initiative to break away from the traditional bar-type smartphone and release smartphones with innovative form factors. Following the 'LG Wing,' which features a horizontally rotating screen, the LG Rollable is the second product to be unveiled.

At the event, only a video demonstrating the operation of the LG Rollable was revealed. Specific details such as the release date or price were not mentioned. LG Electronics plans to hold a separate event as early as March to officially unveil the LG Rollable.

The rollable phone is characterized by using a small screen in normal situations and expanding it when a larger screen is needed. A motor embedded in the display operates by unfolding one or both sides of the screen. Oppo first revealed a rollable phone concept last November that could expand up to 7.4 inches, but LG Electronics is expected to lead in launching a commercial rollable phone. This is because there are significant technical challenges to overcome in actual commercialization and mass production, unlike prototype manufacturing.

Expected image of LG Rollable screen (Source: MiniGigi Korea, LetsGoDigital)

Summarizing the specifications revealed so far about the LG Rollable, the screen is 6.8 inches and expands to 7.4 inches when extended. It features the ability 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 battery capacity of 4200mAh, and 16GB of RAM.

There is also interest in whether the rollable can establish itself as an alternative surpassing foldables. The critical drawbacks of foldable phones are that wrinkles form on the screen during use and the thickness increases when folded. In contrast, rollable phones use only part of the screen normally and expand to use the entire screen when unfolded. Since they have not been commercially available yet, durability will be a key factor. Foldable phones require an additional external screen when folded, making them inevitably expensive, but rollable phones use only one screen like an outfolding method, so there are expectations that they will be released at a more competitive price.

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