Holy Rollers
We have mentioned rollable displays a number of times over the last year as smartphone brands look to both differentiate themselves and solve some of the problems faced by foldable devices. By rolling the display on a spool, the way film (a material that formerly was used to record images, for those that are under 30) was wound in a camera, the pressure on an OLED display can be distributed across the display, rather than at the fold point, which has a tendency to cause a crease in the material and potentially break it down over time. Springs, gears, and motors are usually cited as the methodology for scrolling and un-scrolling these devices, but since there are no such devices commercially available, there are no rules as to how this might be accomplished.
There were a number of such devices and displays ‘unveiled’ at CES this year, although most have either an indefinite timeframe for release, ranging from ‘soon’ to ‘?’, despite some specs that at least give some idea as to how large the display/device will be. The Oppo (pvt) X2021 has a 6.7” display that extends to 7.4” and comes in 5 colors (whenever it comes out), and is powered by a Mediatek (2454.TT) processor. LG introduced the “LG Rollable”, again with a screen size of 6.8” that extends to 7.4”, and while Samsung did not actually show a rollable smartphone to the public at CES, they have been engaged in a rollable development program for years and have shown mock-ups to customers. The most recent Samsung iteration, which was detailed in IP filings, is a slider that pulls out in order to enlarge the careen. Huawei (pvt) has also teased a number of times and many mock-ups have been ‘suggested’ by designers, although no real devices have surfaced.
Samsung is the only smartphone brand to have promised to have a smartphone sixed rollable device out this year, and is likely a step ahead of most OLED panel suppliers in developing the necessary production techniques given their experience in producing flexible OLED displays, but despite the fact that there is not market for small rollable displays yet, the competition has already emerged. Aside from the names mentioned above, some of whom are both smartphone brands and display producers, China’s BOE (200725.CH) has been working to develop rollable OLED displays, and is rumored to be a partner with LG in development. TCL, subsidiary Chinastar has also been developing same as has Tianma (000050.CH), who has been working on flexible OLED displays for a number of years. While we don’t see much in the way of product this year, at least at a reasonable price, by mid- 2022 we expect to see actual product from a number of smartphone brands, and maybe one day we will get the fully rollable display that pulls out of a cylinder that we have been hoping will appear for many years.
There were a number of such devices and displays ‘unveiled’ at CES this year, although most have either an indefinite timeframe for release, ranging from ‘soon’ to ‘?’, despite some specs that at least give some idea as to how large the display/device will be. The Oppo (pvt) X2021 has a 6.7” display that extends to 7.4” and comes in 5 colors (whenever it comes out), and is powered by a Mediatek (2454.TT) processor. LG introduced the “LG Rollable”, again with a screen size of 6.8” that extends to 7.4”, and while Samsung did not actually show a rollable smartphone to the public at CES, they have been engaged in a rollable development program for years and have shown mock-ups to customers. The most recent Samsung iteration, which was detailed in IP filings, is a slider that pulls out in order to enlarge the careen. Huawei (pvt) has also teased a number of times and many mock-ups have been ‘suggested’ by designers, although no real devices have surfaced.
Samsung is the only smartphone brand to have promised to have a smartphone sixed rollable device out this year, and is likely a step ahead of most OLED panel suppliers in developing the necessary production techniques given their experience in producing flexible OLED displays, but despite the fact that there is not market for small rollable displays yet, the competition has already emerged. Aside from the names mentioned above, some of whom are both smartphone brands and display producers, China’s BOE (200725.CH) has been working to develop rollable OLED displays, and is rumored to be a partner with LG in development. TCL, subsidiary Chinastar has also been developing same as has Tianma (000050.CH), who has been working on flexible OLED displays for a number of years. While we don’t see much in the way of product this year, at least at a reasonable price, by mid- 2022 we expect to see actual product from a number of smartphone brands, and maybe one day we will get the fully rollable display that pulls out of a cylinder that we have been hoping will appear for many years.
Oppo X 2021 - Source: Oppo
LG Rollable Smartphone Teaser - Source LG
Samsung Rollable Concept Smartphone - Source: androidheadlines.com
Huawei Rollable Mock-up - Source: Mladen Milic
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