LG Rollable Launching in March Next Year... Will Samsung Release the Expendable Phone?

LG Electronics Files Trademarks for LG Rollable and LG Slide in Europe
Set to Unveil in March Next Year... Will It Be the First Commercial Rollable Phone?
Interest Grows in Mysterious Smartphone Held by Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The era of rollable phones is coming, surpassing foldables. As LG Electronics prepares to launch a rollable phone next year, interest is growing following the release of a photo showing Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong holding a mysterious smartphone.

According to IT specialized media LetsGoDigital and PhoneArena on the 14th, LG Electronics plans to unveil a new rollable smartphone in March next year.

LG Electronics previously filed trademarks for 'LG Slide' and 'LG Rollable' with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). These are classified for use with smartphones. If LG Electronics releases this product early next year, it will become the world's first commercialized rollable phone. In Korea, it is nicknamed the 'Sangsosmun Phone.'

The appearance of LG Electronics' rollable smartphone, revealed in teaser form at the end of the LG Wing launch event last September

LG Electronics hinted at the launch of a rollable phone at the 'LG Wing' unveiling event last September. The silhouette of the rollable phone, which appeared briefly at the end of the event, left a strong impression. Along with the phrase 'Hold your breath,' the shape suggesting a rollable smartphone was revealed. Although only the bottom view was visible against a black video background, the handle part could be opened and closed like a drawer to expand the screen.

The rollable smartphone is characterized by being rolled up for portability and unfolded when a large screen is needed. Pulling one side enlarges the screen, while it can be used in a size similar to a regular smartphone when folded. The rollable phone is being developed as part of LG Electronics' smartphone innovation project called the 'Explorer Project.'

On the 12th, Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics (second from the left), held a design strategy meeting at the Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu to review the design vision and other matters. Vice Chairman Lee is examining the design related to next-generation mobile devices. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

On the 12th, a photo from a design strategy meeting attended by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong captured an unidentified smartphone. This device is thicker than a regular smartphone but thinner than a foldable product, leading to speculation that it might be an 'expandable phone.' The person explaining next to Vice Chairman Lee was also making a gesture of sliding the smartphone upward.

Earlier in 2019, Samsung Electronics filed a patent related to expandable displays with the World Intellectual Property Organization. When the smartphone is pulled upward, a screen rolled up on the back extends out, allowing for a longer display. Although there is speculation that it might be the Galaxy S21, differences from the released rendering images suggest it is more likely a product under development whose release has not been confirmed.

Samsung Electronics cannot be ruled out from introducing smartphones with form factors other than foldables. Kim Hak-yong, Executive Director and Head of Visual Development Team at Samsung Electronics' Wireless Business Division, said in a January article last year, "Devices that can variably transform shapes, such as rollable or stretchable displays, have entered the stage of realization."