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Rollable Smartphones Make Debut at CES 2021
LG Electronics unveiled the world's first rollable smartphone, and a potential Z Fold killer. LGE’s five-second teaser scene, featured a smartphone with the display rolling out to expand as the case slides up. The company said the product will be launched later this year. They hope to ship 500k in 2021. Given that LGD’s flexible OLED capacity is almost total consumed by servicing the needs of Apple, LGE used BOE Technology Group’s OLEDs to produce the rollable displays. BOE will come out a big winner should it successfully supply LG proving to the world that they are ready for prime time. LGE’s mobile communication division expects the release of the rollable smartphone to be a major step in the divisions rebound as LGE suffered 148.4 billion won ($135 million) of operating loss in the third quarter, down from 161.1 billion won a year earlier. The Rollable's single screen is the same size as a traditional smartphone display -- at least, before it mechanically unfurls to the size of a small tablet design and won't feature the same telltale crease found in existing foldables. The other benefit of a rollable has the same thickness of standard smartphones and still delivers an oversized tablet-like display and a standard size display. This capability could be a game changer. But LGE must deliver the mechanical reliability for the rollers and a motor that is sufficiently robust to handle 200k or more opens and closes, withstands dropping and is water resistant.
Figure 1: LG’s Rollable Smartphone Prototype
LG Electronics unveiled the world's first rollable smartphone, and a potential Z Fold killer. LGE’s five-second teaser scene, featured a smartphone with the display rolling out to expand as the case slides up. The company said the product will be launched later this year. They hope to ship 500k in 2021. Given that LGD’s flexible OLED capacity is almost total consumed by servicing the needs of Apple, LGE used BOE Technology Group’s OLEDs to produce the rollable displays. BOE will come out a big winner should it successfully supply LG proving to the world that they are ready for prime time. LGE’s mobile communication division expects the release of the rollable smartphone to be a major step in the divisions rebound as LGE suffered 148.4 billion won ($135 million) of operating loss in the third quarter, down from 161.1 billion won a year earlier. The Rollable's single screen is the same size as a traditional smartphone display -- at least, before it mechanically unfurls to the size of a small tablet design and won't feature the same telltale crease found in existing foldables. The other benefit of a rollable has the same thickness of standard smartphones and still delivers an oversized tablet-like display and a standard size display. This capability could be a game changer. But LGE must deliver the mechanical reliability for the rollers and a motor that is sufficiently robust to handle 200k or more opens and closes, withstands dropping and is water resistant.
Figure 1: LG’s Rollable Smartphone Prototype
LGE will have to use a CPI protective film, as the only source of UTG glass, which is 30㎛ thick, and is produced by Dowoo Insis using an intensifying process to enhance its flexibility and durability. In the process, the UTG is injected with a special material up to an undisclosed depth to achieve a consistent hardness. Samsung Display recently bought a controlling interest in the company. Another weakness is the battery size, which is reported to be ½ the normal size to account for the extra space taken by the rollers and the display itself. LGE’s rollable will reportedly come at a $2400 price. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs $1,999, so the Z Fold 3 will likely $400 less. But that shouldn’t be a problem for a 500k market.
TCL CSOT launched two ground-breaking products, the 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display and 6.7-inch AMOLED Rollable Display. According to British research firm Euromonitor International, TCL was third in the global flat-panel TV market in 2019, with a 7.8% share. Samsung was leader with an 18.7% share, followed by LG with 15.2%. The Oppo X 2021 was unveiled with working prototypes back in November, but the company wasn't able to provide a launch date. The flexible 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display, at just 0.18mm thick, is a unique example of a larger-scale flexible display technology. Highly scrollable and portable, it can easily fit in anywhere, just like a scroll painting. Benefiting from TCL CSOT's cutting-edge inkjet printing technology, with a 100% color gamut, it significantly enhances the quality of the display. It can be widely applied across flexible TVs, curved and foldable displays, and transparent commercial displays. Its OLED RGB self-luminous devices are manufactured with high-precision inkjet printing technology, without the need for fine metal masks. As a result, the cost is 20% lower than traditional display technologies and is more applicable for large-size displays and mass production. The portable 6.7-inch AMOLED Rollable Display re-defines the standard form of a smartphone. With a rollable AMOLED display, it can be extended from 6.7-inches to 7.8-inches with a simple tap of the finger, turning it from a smartphone into a tablet and creating an entirely new user experience with its easily adaptable user interface. The smartphone is less than 10mm thick, making it significantly thinner than the foldable smartphone. Through the enhanced design of the smartphone's flexible screen, the curling and sliding radius of the flexible screen can be as small as R3mm, combined with the special sliding mechanism design. With the simple swipe of a button, the screen originally curled and hidden inside the case can be pulled out, therefore enabling the phone to stretch out and draw back. The sliding life of the device is up to 100,000 times. The software interface can be adapted accordingly for single-hand use or multi-tasking.
Figure 2: TCL’s Rollable Smartphone Prototype
TCL CSOT launched two ground-breaking products, the 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display and 6.7-inch AMOLED Rollable Display. According to British research firm Euromonitor International, TCL was third in the global flat-panel TV market in 2019, with a 7.8% share. Samsung was leader with an 18.7% share, followed by LG with 15.2%. The Oppo X 2021 was unveiled with working prototypes back in November, but the company wasn't able to provide a launch date. The flexible 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display, at just 0.18mm thick, is a unique example of a larger-scale flexible display technology. Highly scrollable and portable, it can easily fit in anywhere, just like a scroll painting. Benefiting from TCL CSOT's cutting-edge inkjet printing technology, with a 100% color gamut, it significantly enhances the quality of the display. It can be widely applied across flexible TVs, curved and foldable displays, and transparent commercial displays. Its OLED RGB self-luminous devices are manufactured with high-precision inkjet printing technology, without the need for fine metal masks. As a result, the cost is 20% lower than traditional display technologies and is more applicable for large-size displays and mass production. The portable 6.7-inch AMOLED Rollable Display re-defines the standard form of a smartphone. With a rollable AMOLED display, it can be extended from 6.7-inches to 7.8-inches with a simple tap of the finger, turning it from a smartphone into a tablet and creating an entirely new user experience with its easily adaptable user interface. The smartphone is less than 10mm thick, making it significantly thinner than the foldable smartphone. Through the enhanced design of the smartphone's flexible screen, the curling and sliding radius of the flexible screen can be as small as R3mm, combined with the special sliding mechanism design. With the simple swipe of a button, the screen originally curled and hidden inside the case can be pulled out, therefore enabling the phone to stretch out and draw back. The sliding life of the device is up to 100,000 times. The software interface can be adapted accordingly for single-hand use or multi-tasking.
Figure 2: TCL’s Rollable Smartphone Prototype
Figure 3: TCL’s Rollable Smartphone Prototype (2)
Codenamed ‘Papyrus’, this foldable phone is able to expand beyond the original display size of the Mi Mix Alpha, owing to two scroll-like mechanisms on its sides. This axle allows Papyrus to occupy various sizes, varying from the size of a small TV remote to a medium-sized tablet. Though it is narrower compared to the original Mi Mix Alpha, Papyrus has three versatile modes; compact, standard, and (wide) tablet. In the compact mode, it completely collapses to occupy a folded position, looking much like a chain of Lego blocks or a chocolate bar! In the standard format, it expands further (like a scroll) to reveal the three-lens camera with high resolution on the back. And on giving a final tug to the sides, the scroll mechanisms on the axle allow the OLED screen to expand to a tablet of 7-8 inches or even more.
Figure 4: TCL’s Rollable Tablet Prototype
Figure 4: TCL’s Rollable Tablet Prototype
