A recently published patent application from LG Display has us hoping for a revival of the company’s ill-fated rollable phone project, which was last seen in prototype form in 2022.
The patent in question concerns a rollable display, which apparently uses the same technology as the canceled LG Rollable phone The edge reported in 2022, a year after LG stopped producing smartphones. The OLED display used in this concept phone started out at a fairly large 6.8 inches before expanding into a 7.4-inch mini tablet.
LG Display is a subsidiary of the LG Group that designs and manufactures displays and licenses them to other companies, including majority shareholder LG Electronics, which is legally a separate entity.
Since this rollable phone has actually reached the prototype stage, see the hands-on review of BullsLab – we can reasonably assume that this display could be produced again, but at what scale remains a bit of a mystery.
If MSPowerUser reports includes the 21-page application diagrams that detail how the rolling display technology can be used for smartphone-sized devices, as well as larger frames. Although this latest patent was published on October 8 this year, it was actually filed on October 10, 2023.
Would LG return to smartphones?
It’s not uncommon for phone makers to file speculative patents on proprietary technology simply in the interest of defending their ideas against copycats and competitors, but it’s exciting to see LG’s continued research into phone design, considering the company’s telephone market in 2021.
LG made its name with high-quality Android phones and later futuristic and unique designs. The most memorable of these remains the LG Wing, which had two tiered screens, the top of which could rotate into landscape to give the phone a T-shaped profile. The company’s last phone, the LG V60, also distinguished itself with a detachable second screen, providing cheaper competition for the then-nascent folding phone market.
With these later models in mind, a quirky rolling display wouldn’t feel so unusual if LG were to return to smartphones.
Mind you, there’s been no official announcement, or even suggestion, of such a return for the South Korean giant, so for now we think LG is unlikely to produce any new phones itself.
However, as mentioned, this patent was filed by LG Display, which typically licenses displays to other manufacturers, so there is a chance that this technology could be licensed and adopted by another manufacturer.
Whether the outcome matches our speculations or not, it’s exciting to see that this exciting product hasn’t been completely forgotten.
For the latest updates, including official announcements, be sure to stay tuned to our phone coverage – and for a blast from the past, check out our archived list of the best LG phones.