It seems that Samsung is developing a rollable phone. Let's hope it doesn't end up the same way as LG.
Foldables are facing pressure from Chinese competitors, which makes rollables Samsung's most precarious alternative yet.
Samsung might be poised to venture into unfamiliar territory with the Galaxy line. According to a report from the Korean outlet Money Today, the company is working on a rollable Galaxy aimed for a potential launch in the first half of 2028, with Samsung Display negotiating to provide the essential OLED panel.
The situation is quite complicated. Samsung Display reportedly lost ground to BOE in the foldable phone panel market in the first quarter, although Omdia anticipates a recovery linked to Samsung’s upcoming foldables later this year.
LG still looms over this concept, having previously developed a rollable phone that never launched widely before its mobile division was shuttered in 2021, serving as a stark reminder that ambitious hardware doesn’t always find a viable market.
Potential for Growth
Omdia projects that Samsung’s device, rumored to be called the Z Slide, will feature a 10-inch, 16:9 panel with a resolution of 440.6 pixels per inch. When fully extended, this would transform a Galaxy device from its familiar foldable shape into a tablet-like screen that can still fit in a pocket.
Such a screen must justify its size whenever it expands. Activities like video viewing, reading, multitasking, and light work should offer a superior experience compared to a traditional phone, rather than simply being larger and more costly.
Challenges Facing Rollables
Oppo’s X 2021 concept illustrates why the concept keeps resurfacing. Its flexible OLED display expanded from 6.7 inches to 7.4 inches using a sliding mechanism, allowing for more screen space without a central hinge.
Samsung's challenge lies in ensuring that this mechanism is reliable at scale. The report highlights various engineering challenges that rollables must tackle, including repeated bending, stress from tension, maintaining screen flatness, consistency of the image, wrinkle control, optical design, internal roller components, as well as managing thickness and weight.
What Samsung Needs to Demonstrate by 2028
Samsung Display does possess relevant expertise. It has showcased Flex Hybrid and Rollable Flex prototypes and has already supplied the OLED panels for Lenovo’s rollable ThinkBook Plus G6 laptop, providing it with commercial experience beyond mere demonstrations.
From this point, the challenge shifts to Samsung Electronics. A rollable Galaxy must offer durability that users can trust, software that enhances the utility of the expanding screen, repair options that don’t intimidate users, and pricing that appeals to more than just collectors. Until these aspects are clarified, it remains an intriguing rumor with a cautionary note.
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It seems that Samsung is developing a rollable phone. Let's hope it doesn't end up the same way as LG.
The speculated rollable Galaxy from Samsung may reach 10 inches by 2028. However, LG's withdrawal, Oppo's prototype, and the challenging engineering requirements illustrate why this phone design still requires validation prior to its release.