A New Milestone Created by LG... The Expanding and Contracting 'LG Rollable'

'LG Rollable' Confirmed as Product Name
Expanded from 6.8 Inches to 7.4 Inches
Aspect Ratio Changes According to Calls and Videos

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] LG Electronics has set a new milestone in smartphone history with a new form factor called ‘rollable,’ which allows the screen to expand when needed.

On the 11th, a hand holding a smartphone appeared in the ‘CES 2021’ press conference video released by LG Electronics. The upper part of the phone, held wide horizontally, rose as the rollable phone’s screen unfolded upward, changing the screen to the stage where the speaker appeared. As the conference video ended and the speaker exited, the hand holding the smartphone from the beginning of the video appeared again, and this time the screen smoothly retracted, returning the rollable phone to its original size.

The product name of the rollable phone was confirmed as ‘LG Rollable.’ Only a video demonstrating the operation of the LG Rollable was released at the event. The release date, price, and detailed specifications were not mentioned. LG Electronics plans to hold a separate event as early as March to unveil the LG Rollable.

Last year, some specifications of the rollable phone were partially revealed through an emulator (a program that allows a mobile system to operate identically on a PC) on the Google Android developer site. The LG Rollable normally has a 6.8-inch screen that expands to the right up to 7.4 inches. It supports changing the screen 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, Snapdragon 888, a battery capacity of 4200mAh, and 16GB of RAM.

Foreign media also responded positively to LG Electronics pioneering a new market with the rollable phone. IT specialist media CNET evaluated it as “a step forward in smartphone design evolution beyond foldables.” PhoneArena described it as “a product that allows access to the desired environment anytime without wrinkles or increasing volume, unlike foldables.”

It is a point of interest whether LG Electronics, which entered the smartphone market relatively late and faced setbacks, can write a comeback story with the rollable phone. According to market research firm Strategy Analytics, LG Electronics ranked 11th globally with smartphone shipments of 29.3 million units last year, and shipments are expected to increase by more than 3.3 million units next year. While maintaining 3rd place in the North American and Korean markets, it has continued to post losses for 23 consecutive quarters.

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