Teardown of unreleased LG Rollable shows why rollable phones aren't a thing
Here's something that caught my attention — despite all the hype around foldable phones, LG's unreleased rollable shows why this tech might never go mainstream. You see, LG was once a big player in smartphones, but by 2021, they’d pretty much given up. Then, out of nowhere, a prototype of their rollable phone appeared, thanks to a teardown by JerryRigEverything. According to Ryan Whitwam at Ars Technica, the device looked like a regular phone at first, but a swipe activated a motor that unfurled the screen, adding about 40% more display without extra bulk. Now, here’s where it gets interesting — what this teardown reveals is just how complex and fragile these rollable screens are, which spikes manufacturing costs and raises durability concerns. As Whitwam points out, these devices might have been insanely expensive, making them a tough sell for most consumers. So what does this mean? Despite the cool factor, rollables might be stuck in the realm of fancy concepts until tech and prices catch up.