A teardown of LG's unreleased rollable phone prototype reveals the complex mechanical engineering that made such devices impractical for mass production. The device uses noisy motors, intricate tracks, and spring-loaded arms to expand the screen, explaining why rollables never reached consumers despite early hype. This analysis provides technical insight into why foldables became the dominant flexible display form factor instead.
Background
LG was a major smartphone manufacturer that exited the market in 2021, having previously showcased a rollable phone concept at CES 2021. Flexible OLED technology enabled new form factors like foldables and rollables, but only foldables achieved commercial success.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Apr 7, 2026 at 01:39 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10