LG Rollable is not dead — but you can't have 1

LG Rollable is not dead — but you can't have 1

Just four months ago, the LG Rollable was the star of the show at LG's CES keynote. But after LG shut down its cell phone business last month, the product has apparently been treated as a bargain.

While consumers will probably never get their hands on the eye-catching Rollable or Velvet 2 Pro, LG employees in Korea seem to be able to scoop them up at seriously discounted prices.

As GSMArena first reported, about 3,000 Velvet 2 Pro units were on sale for about $170 each, according to Twitter tipster FrontTron. This is a discount of about 80% from the $880-$970 price range that LG likely had in mind before it shut down its cell phone business; no details on the LG Rollable's price and quantity were available.

The phone's hardware warranty is reportedly for 6 months (possibly extended to 24 months) or as long as parts are available. For obvious reasons, software updates will not be provided. Employees could purchase up to two phones on the condition that they do not resell them, but collectors would likely try to buy the phones from LG employees.

The Velvet 2 Pro (aka LG Rainbow) is similar in design to the original LG Velvet and comes in black, bronze, and ivory; according to FrontTron, the smartphone has pressure-sensitive volume and power buttons, punch-hole notch, and three cameras in a vertical row. According to the tipster, the Velvet 2 Pro is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor, a 6.8-inch Full HD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4500mAh battery Those are impressive specs for a phone that costs less than the Nintendo Switch Lite.

FrontTron said "many LG employees" are eager to get their hands on the Velvet 2 Pro and that sales have been slow due to high interest. Given the significant discount and solid specs, the resale restrictions and lack of software updates are probably a worthwhile trade-off; the Velvet 2 Pro will also be a collector's item, as it is very likely to be the last smartphone LG will make; LG Rollable or the LG Velvet didn't get a chance to be considered in our Best Foldable Phones or Best Android Phones lists, which is a shame.

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