LG’s withdrawal from the smartphone field has sparked a bittersweet reaction driven by nostalgia. LG has shut down its smartphone division in the midst of reinventing the mobile phone with a bold design concept.
But the brand’s most ambitious legacy seems to be still going strong. There’s still a glimmer of hope that LG will get back into the smartphone game, although the chances are shockingly low. The same goes for smartphones that can be rolled up.
According to a patent first spotted by MSPowerUser, LG’s Display Unit has developed a device that includes a “roll-slide” display assembly. At its heart is a flexible panel, which is essentially a substrate developed using plastic as one of its materials.
The use of plastic here is not surprising. Mainly because it adds some much-needed flexibility. When the first generation of foldable phones came out, Samsung also used plastic for the inner foldable panel, but has since moved to a hybrid material called ultra-thin glass.
The display material in LG’s patented implementation allows it to bend and roll. It has a frame with rollers and a guide system that allows the flexible display to extend and retract.
Sandwiched between the multiframe arrays is a system of magnetic sheets that uses magnetic attraction to ensure that the flexible display does not crease or wrinkle as it stretches. Removing wrinkles is not just a cosmetic choice. Instead, it maintains the integrity of the display and ensures long-term use.
LG’s patents don’t seem to be limited to smartphones. Instead, it includes some more ambitious ideas. Please see the contents.
“Flexible display devices are easy to carry and can have large screens, so they have the potential to be applied not only to mobile devices such as mobile phones, e-books, and e-newspapers, but also to various fields such as televisions and e-newspapers. ” It’s a monitor. ”
Now, rollable technology isn’t just a figment of a patent’s imagination. LG exhibited a working prototype of a mobile phone that it independently developed. Oppo reached the showcase stage but never released a rollable phone. TCL also entered the race with a foldable concept phone.
Does this patent mean LG will return to the smartphone battle? Well, that would be a huge effort. However, technically it could happen. The patent, filed on October 10, is registered under the LG Display division, a company that has historically supplied phone panels to Apple and others.
It’s plausible that LG’s display unit is preparing for changes in smartphone design. And in the future, if smartphone brands are willing to launch rollable phones, LG will present itself as a supplier of basic rollable display technology.
When will we see rollable phones in stores? Well, there’s no firm commitment from any brand yet. Meanwhile, Huawei is taking the idea of a foldable phone into the outrageous realm of a tri-fold, where the screen unfolds twice to become a giant tablet.
In the meantime, if you want to know what LG’s Rollable Phone was, check out the video above.
