As you can see in the video below, the device doesn’t look too bigger than a regular-sized smartphone when in its compact form. But you can roll out additional screen space to convert it into a tablet-sized device. It seemingly stretches more than an inch along its width. The prototype device has some content displayed on the screen. And as the additional screen space rolls out, the content automatically fits into the new aspect ratio.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) May 11, 2022
BOE brought a rollable display to Display Week 2022
The annual Display Week event returned to live exhibitions in 2022 after a hiatus of three years. The event is currently in full swing in San Jose, California. We have already seen several futuristic display technologies showcased at the event. Samsung brought a dual-foldable, a multi-folding, and a couple of slidable small-sized OLED panels, as well as advanced OLED screens for connected cars and TVs, and the world’s first 240Hz OLED display for laptops to Display Week 2022. BOE, the world’s largest LCD manufacturer and one of Samsung‘s main rivals in the display industry, showcased a few similar products too. Unfortunately, the rollable or slidable products that we saw are just prototypes. When and if they will be available commercially is anyone’s guess. As of now, the technology looks like one straight out of a science fiction film. That said, this is the future for display-equipped mobile devices. Several industry watchers believe foldables will pave way for rollable in the not-so-distant future. The general principle is the same for both device types. Users will carry a regular-sized smartphone that can switch into a tablet when needed. This allows for enhanced multitasking. But the rollable tech has a key advantage over foldables: display crease or the lack of it. Foldable screens form a crease along the fold line, which worsens over time, affecting the user experience. Rollable devices will not have any such issues. However, the rollable tech is not yet ready for prime time, and may not be for a few more years. So it’s foldables that will remain the only “unconventional” smartphones for the time being. Largely dominated by Samsung for the past couple of years, perhaps since foldables existed, this industry is seeing several new entrants this year. Hopefully, this will also mean a lower entry price into the foldable world.
