LG may exit the smartphone market soon — we may never see the LG rollable phone

LG Rollable demo during CES 2021 press conference
(Image credit: LG)

LG teased its head-turning rollable smartphone not even two weeks ago at CES 2021, and already there are doubts it will ever see the light of day as the future of LG's smartphone business looks bleak.

LG Electronics' CEO, Kwon Bong-seok, has confirmed that there will be a "change in the direction of the smartphone business operation," a report by The Korean Herald stated. While it isn't certain if LG's smartphone operations will be cut, there have been clear hints, considering the company lost around 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) over the past five years.

An LG official has also stated, "it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice” regarding the competition LG faces in the global smartphone market. 

What's happening with the LG Rollable Phone?

The fate of LG's rollable smartphone is currently up in the air, as LG is apparently still developing the next-gen model. However, launch plans for the smartphone are still undecided, with LG stating it is “open to every possibility.”

It may depend on the demand for the rollable concept. Despite it's 5G LG Wing being a flippin' fun time and being labelled as the future of smartphones, it failed to make a dent in the market. No profit for a company, no incentive to continue operations.

There's no doubt enthusiasts are interested to try out LG's rollable smartphone (including us), as it could make the foldable form factor redundant — seeing as it transitions from a phone to a tablet, in style. In the meantime, we hope for the best, LG. 

Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.