This is how close LG's Rollable was to being a real phone
LG was supposed to release another phone with an unusual form factor after The Wing as an answer to Samsung's foldables. At CES 2021, the company confirmed that it was working on a phone with a rollable display and that it was going to be available later that year. It never got to launch the device before shutting down its mobile business after its newest models, which included the Wing, failed to gain traction. But now, a hands-on video by Korean tech reviewer 뻘짓연구소 (BullsLab) shows just how close LG got to launching the phone that would've simply gone by the name "Rollable."
While the Wing featured a rotatable display on top of a smaller one underneath, the Rollable was designed to have a screen that stretches out until the phone becomes a small tablet. In the video, you'll see how responsive the device is and how quickly it starts expanding after the YouTuber swipes at the screen with three fingers. Whatever's displayed on screen — even the animated wallpapers — automatically adjusts itself. At one point, the reviewer places three books beside the phone to show that its motor is strong enough to move the pile as it stretches out.
In addition to the stretchable main display, the phone's back panel also functions as an extra screen that can house a handful of widgets, including ones for the camera, calendar and music. If you fire up the camera app from that extra screen, you'll be able to take selfies without powering on the main phone.
Based on the device BullsLab reviewed, the Rollable would've launched with a Snapdragon 888 CPU, up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Those were top-level specs that would've put the Rollable in the same category as flagships, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Since LG's mobile business no longer exists, there's little to no chance for the Rollable to, well, roll out. It's worth noting that Oppo also showed off a rollable phone back in 2021, but it was just a prototype, and we haven't heard anything about it since then.