Is LG returning to smartphone business? New patents hint at previously-killed rollable device

LG’s downfall from the grace in the smartphone business is one to analyze. But now, a recently published patent application from the South Korean tech giant (with a publication date of October 8, 2024) may shed a new light—for LG’s rollable, more specifically.

The 21-page document describes a roll-slide display device that’s really flexible, and you can roll and extend it to different sizes, from a compact to a larger one. Here are some of the technical sketches of this “device.”

To put more into context, LG was working on LG Rollable, a smartphone with an extendable screen, but they officially canceled the project sometime years ago. But, the patent (the latest filing was in October 2023) keeps on updating, and it got a new publishing recently.

A video surfaced online in 2022 about the ill-fated device. It expands from 6.8 to 7/4 inches with a motorized mechanism and has an OLED screen that unfurled, a rear notification display, and a Snapdragon 888 processor with 12GB RAM and a 4,500mAh battery.

There were some screen wrinkles and durability concerns regarding the device though, so it’s likely that this patent answers that issue.

To solve that, as the patent describes, the device uses a magnetic system: a magnetic sheet is added to the back of the display, and magnets are built into the device’s frame. This magnetic force helps smooth out wrinkles and allows the display to return to a wrinkle-free state faster.

The timing is also interesting though, and that’s what got us speculating. LG canceled the rollable device project back in February 2021 (the video surfaced around September 2022), but this patent application was filed in October 2023 with a publication date of October 2024.

Does this mean that LG hasn’t completely abandoned its rollable device concept? A return—a hotly anticipated one?

Time will tell, who knows for sure, but it’s best to note that remember that patent filings should be taken with a grain of salt. Many of these patents never actually result in real products, and companies often file them to secure ideas rather than signal a confirmed future release.

Speaking of which, we also reported that Microsoft is possibly exploring the idea of a 360-foldable phone. The difference between that and the canceled Surface Duo 3 is that this patented device is a foldable phone with one screen that folds, unlike Surface that’s folded using a hinge, almost like two smartphones joined together.