An LG Rollable might sound like something you can buy at one of the more adventurous Amsterdam coffeeshops but it’s actually the official name of the South Korean company’s most ambitious phone to date. And remember, we’re talking about a company that released the LG Wing in the past six months.

While we’ve been aware of LG’s aims in this direction for a while, we didn’t have much information about a possible rollable smartphone. Now… we’ve got a name, and a timeline for release. But not much else.

Locking down an LG Rollable

LG presented little more than a teaser of the smartphone at this year’s CES. It would launch (if it ever does) as part of the company’s experimental Explorer Project series of devices — as a phone that expands into a tablet by basically ‘stretching’ the screen (which would unroll from inside the device’s body — kinda like a scroll but with electricity inside it), it certainly fits the bill. And, according to sources speaking to tech website CNET, LG intends to launch it this year, but given how the company’s previous rollable device was delayed…

The LG Rollable obviously takes its cues from another piece of high-tech flexible-screened equipment, (eventually) launched last year. The LG Signature OLED R bounced onto the market last year, using a very similar concept to deliver a TV screen that tucks away in a box when not in use. It is very, very expensive. Expect the LG Rollable to be the same.

LG wasn’t the only company to preview rollable smartphones at this year’s CES. TCL showed off a couple of prototypes, while Oppo has something similar in the works. In 2021, smartphones are only going to get weirder.

Source: via The Verge

Header image: LG [screenshot]