Teardown of Unreleased LG Rollable Reveals Why Rollable Phones Never Became a Thing
LG Rollable Teardown: Overengineered Masterpiece That Explains Why Rollable Phones Failed
JerryRigEverything has published a teardown of the never-released LG Rollable smartphone, providing a fascinating look at why the rollable form factor never made it to market despite being demoed by multiple manufacturers. The video and analysis from Ars Technica has gained 118 points on Hacker News.
What Was the LG Rollable?
LG last smartphone project before shutting down its mobile division in 2021. Unlike foldable phones that bend at a hinge, the Rollable expanded its screen by unrolling from a compact phone into a tablet-sized display using two motors on a geared track.
The Engineering
The teardown reveals impressively ambitious engineering:
- Two motors on a geared track drive the expansion
- Spring-loaded arms guide the screen as it extends
- Looping display: The screen wraps around the back of the device, requiring complex routing
- Internal complexity: Multiple moving parts, tracks, springs, and motor assemblies
Why It Failed
Despite the impressive engineering, several factors doomed the concept:
- Cost: The complexity would have demanded a premium price — asking people to pay Galaxy Z Fold money for an LG phone in 2021 was a non-starter
- Durability: Motors, tracks, and a looping screen create multiple points of failure. Even simple foldable hinges took Samsung several iterations to get right
- Manufacturing: Scaling production of such a complex device would have been extremely challenging
- Loudness: The motors would have been audible during use — not ideal for a phone you pull out in meetings
The Competitive Landscape
LG was not alone in exploring rollables — Motorola, Oppo, and others showed similar concepts at trade shows. Yet no manufacturer has ever released a rollable phone to market, even as foldables continue to gain traction.
Legacy
Because LG never launched the Rollable, the LG Wing with its rotating screen went down in history as the company final smartphone — a somewhat anticlimactic end for a division that once competed with Samsung for market leadership.
Source: Ars Technica / JerryRigEverything — 118 points on HN