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CES 2021: LG Teases 'World's First Rollable Smartphone'
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So cool. Imagine unrolling something the size of an iPhone 12 Pro or PM so that it becomes 3x its current width. Presto: you're now holding an iPad.
At first I misread the article as ‘World’s first reliable smartphone’ I had to twist my brain to figure out what that meant. I thought to myself it simply looks flexible how reliable could that actually be?
Seems very interesting. While I think functionally this is superior to foldable screens, I do see some negatives versus foldable screens (like the Galaxy Fold 2). 1) Durability: With the Fold 2 at least I know the inner screen is safe when it's closed. The inner screen is also (contrary to most uninformed opinions on here) actually pretty durable, but I would definitely not want it exposed while in my pocket or bag. This is assuming LG is using the same material which seems to be an unknown at this time. 2) The LG seems really slow to open, I like that with my Fold 2 I can just pop it open instantly any time, I think I'd go nuts waiting for the LG to slowly roll open every single time I wanted to switch. Personally I'd rather have some sort of manual ability to unroll the phone.
With that said functionally I would much prefer the rollable screen, but I'm not sure it has any marked advantages over foldables other than eliminating the crease (which personally I don't notice anyway in day to day use), and possibly some significant disadvantages.
With that said functionally I would much prefer the rollable screen, but I'm not sure it has any marked advantages over foldables other than eliminating the crease (which personally I don't notice anyway in day to day use), and possibly some significant disadvantages.
I'm not sure how their rollable tv got reviewed or if there were any issues over time with the screen, but thought that was a pretty cool concept (for a tv), need to see more of this concept before I judge it, but I think I would be afraid to yank it to hard and break it. Also how do you interact with a flimsy screen?
The video is not fake, it's there and fully visible. However, the device presented in the video may be fake!
/funny guy
I've been waiting for this since that show was first aired! 😂
Imagine a similar technology, in a laptop. You could have a taller display, it would be a weird aspect ratio but you could have windows on top of each other instead of having them side by side.
I'm a developer and I'd use a display like this, with Xcode on the bottom and a simulator on top, or the web inspector on top of the actual page etc.
I'm a developer and I'd use a display like this, with Xcode on the bottom and a simulator on top, or the web inspector on top of the actual page etc.
This does look interesting. A rumor suggests the LG rollable screen phone could list for about $2300. Ouch.
A couple of things come to mind. With a rollable screen how durable will the screen be. With mechanical motors, will they be able to survive a drop of say 3’ or even 6’.
A couple of things come to mind. With a rollable screen how durable will the screen be. With mechanical motors, will they be able to survive a drop of say 3’ or even 6’.
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Great is that it will probably adds less extra weight compare to fordable design. Question is how thin all that mechanism can get Besides reliability.
Thoroughly satisfied with my washing machine, 12 years old and dryer, 10 years old.
As far as this scroll phone, I’m willing to bet it doesn’t show up in 2021. Maybe as a proof of concept, but not something that is ready for the masses.
Or the laptop screen could roll open more to the left and right and you could have a much wider display.
I have never used an LG phone but, I do like their displays, along with their TV's.
But...WHY??? The thickness alone would not work for pockets and another potential failure point of wear/tear.
Still holding out for a holographic phone all-in-one device (takes minimal space) that also has a wireless output/input to mouse, keyboard and monitor and harness the power of a full desktop computer. In conjunction an OS that would be scalable and transformable upon connection with larger screens. Automatically switch between phone/tablet/desktop modes. This would be the new revolutionary product that would rule them all! Maybe someday...
Still holding out for a holographic phone all-in-one device (takes minimal space) that also has a wireless output/input to mouse, keyboard and monitor and harness the power of a full desktop computer. In conjunction an OS that would be scalable and transformable upon connection with larger screens. Automatically switch between phone/tablet/desktop modes. This would be the new revolutionary product that would rule them all! Maybe someday...
One advantage is thickness. With current foldables, the closed device is twice as thick as when open but not so with a scrollable that maintains its thickness. While a folding phone like the Fold does protect its screen when closed, it also needs another screen to be usable in that state. Not so with a scrollable where only one screen is necessary. In theory, that could reduce the production cost, increase overall reliability (main screen aside) and simplify the OS and application integration. We're all used to single screen phones, so shifting to a scrollable like the LG seems an easier transition.
Some disadvantages:
- rolling mechanism seems a very likely failure point
- excess battery draw from rolling (and larger screen), needs special low battery handling like auto-close before running out
- need for ability to manually close in the event of auto-close failure (?)
- dust and larger particles entering the device when closing could damage both the screen and rollers
- complexity for application developers to dynamically/smoothly accommodate a slowly changing screen resolution (different from instant unfolding though that could have its own complex behaviors as well at different angles)
- when extended, the structural integrity of the phone is compromised, but by how much? Imagine dropping today's iPhone vs dropping the LG when it is fully extended
- overall weight to accommodate larger screen material and rollers
