The LG rollable phone should be ready to tangle with the Galaxy Z Flip

The LG rollable phone should be ready to tangle with the Galaxy Z Flip

Foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Flip may be cool, but what about a device that can be rolled up? According to a new report, LG's long-rumored rollable smartphone is on track for a 2021 release and even has a name: Project B.

However, the Project B phone reportedly will not feature an LG-developed display. It appears that Chinese manufacturer BOE will be working with LG on these tasks, completing a rollable display that will allow users to expand the screen at will.

This is not the first time we have heard about LG's rollable phones; IP Park, CTO and president of LG Electronics, told Tom's Guide at CES 2019 that the company is working on both foldable and rollable phones. In fact, a trademark filing that year suggested just such a device was in development, and as recently as June, there were reports that LG was working on a device with a display that could be rolled and folded. There is also the matter of LG's rollable OLED TVs, which were announced earlier this year. The "Signature Series OLED TV R" is slated to hit the market with a hefty price tag of $60,000.

As for the rollable phone, LG has yet to present any sort of working prototype, but basically sizing down this rollable display for a cell phone would require more time in the oven.

The company may be one of the first manufacturers with a window of possible release of a rollable phone, but it is not the first manufacturer reported to have plans in the works. Samsung was reportedly working on a rollable slider phone, and TCL went so far as to show off its own rollable phone concept, including a tri-fold design that can expand from a 6.75-inch phone to a 7.8-inch tablet.

LG has also introduced a device with a second rollable display, codenamed "Wing," which according to ETNews will reportedly feature a main 6.8-inch display and a secondary 4-inch screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Foldable phones have yet to really take off, but the Galaxy Z Flip was the first foldable we tested that really nailed the concept. We are interested to see if LG's approach makes phones with adjustable screens more useful for the general public.

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