Shortly before LG shuttered its mobile phone division, the company teased an interesting device: A smartphone with a display that could roll out to the size of a small tablet.
The company insisted, up until the very end, that it was going forward with this phone, and that it was a real product, until it became obvious that neither that phone, nor any other smartphone, was coming from LG in the near future.
LG wasn’t joking. A new hands-on video by a South Korean YouTuber (via Android Police(opens in a new tab)) provides an unusually detailed look into this unreleased device.
In the video, we see that LG had prepared a retail box, documentation and charger for the smartphone. We also see it in action and from all angles, and it appears to be fully functional. The rollable display looks really cool in action, expanding by roughly an additional 50 percent with a simple click.
It’s hard to say how sturdy the roll-out mechanism is for long-term use, but in some ways the LG Rollable (this was supposed to be the official name) definitely improves on foldable phones, which are way clunkier when folded.
Why LG is saying goodbye to its smartphone business
In the video, we also see the LG Rollable’s full specifications: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 64/12-megapixel rear camera, and a 4,500mAh battery. The weight is 285 grams, which is heavier than your typical smartphone but still manageable (for comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs 263 grams).
LG was never able to make its mobile division profitable, so it was inevitable that the company would ultimately give up on making smartphones. I was sad to see them go; experiments such as the modular LG G5 gave the mobile industry a much-needed dash of fresh air, and LG Rollable is further proof of that.
