Samsung is making rollable and slidable displays — new phones could arrive this year

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
(Image credit: Samsung)

LG impressed at CES 2021 with its slick LG rollable smartphone (which we may never get to see), but Samsung is bringing on the competition by churning out rollable and slidable screens — expected to come out in 2021.

During Samsung Display's earnings call (via The Elec), senior vice-president Kwon-Young Choi stated Samsung will “fortify our presence in the display market through innovative form factors such as rollable and sliding displays.” The report also states the new display form factors are expected to cement Samsung Display's leadership in 2021.

However, this doesn't come as too big of a surprise, as Samsung filed a patent in 2019 for a rollable concept smartphone, as seen on LetsGoDigital. According to the concept, the smartphone will be about the size of a Samsung Galaxy S21, only to expand to about the size of its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

Samsung Rollable Patent

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital)

Since the rollable concept seems to have been in development for a while now, getting a new smartphone form factor from Samsung in 2021 isn't farfetched.

There aren't any details of an official release date or name, as Samsung only said it will be developing new displays. However, Samsung also said during the earnings conference call that it will expand its leadership in the foldable market, meaning we'll hopefully see more updates from the Flip and Fold, too.

If Samsung does, erm, roll out a rollable smartphone this year, it could be the first we ever get our hands on one, as the LG rollable phone may never see the light of day.

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.