Unreleased LG Rollable Teardown Reveals Why Rollables Never Took Off

Rollable phones were once touted as the next big innovation in mobile technology, with companies like LG planning to disrupt the market. However, a recent teardown of an unreleased LG Rollable prototype has shed light on why this form factor never took off.

LG was once a heavyweight in the smartphone industry, competing with rival Samsung. But as smartphone sales plateaued, the company struggled to stay competitive. In 2021, LG planned to make a comeback with a rollable phone, but it never moved beyond the teaser phase. Now, five years after LG officially exited the smartphone market, the LG Rollable has appeared in a YouTube teardown that demonstrates the complexities and challenges of this design.

The LG Rollable is one of several rollable concept phones that emerged in the early 2020s. The advent of affordable flexible OLED screens led to the rise of foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. However, even foldables were (and still are) considered very expensive devices. Based on the intricate inner workings revealed in the teardown, rollable phones may have commanded even higher prices, making them an impractical choice for mainstream consumers.

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The teardown, conducted by noted YouTube phone destroyer JerryRigEverything, provides a glimpse into the complex engineering behind the LG Rollable. At first glance, the device appears to be a regular smartphone, but a quick swipe activates the motor, which unfurls additional screen real estate from around the back. This expands the viewable area by about 40 percent, offering a larger display experience.

However, the teardown reveals the technical challenges that likely contributed to the demise of the rollable phone concept. The intricate mechanism required to smoothly roll and unroll the display, along with the additional components needed to support this functionality, added significant complexity and cost to the device's design. The teardown also highlights the potential durability concerns, as the repeated rolling and unrolling of the screen could lead to premature wear and tear over time.

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The failure of the LG Rollable serves as a cautionary tale for the smartphone industry. While innovation is crucial, it must be balanced with practicality and cost-effectiveness for mass-market adoption. The complexity and high price point of rollable phones made them an impractical choice for most consumers, leading to their eventual demise in the face of more mainstream foldable devices.

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As the smartphone market continues to evolve, manufacturers will need to carefully weigh the tradeoffs between cutting-edge features and overall product viability. The lessons learned from the LG Rollable teardown will undoubtedly inform the future development of flexible display technologies and their integration into mobile devices.