A detailed teardown of LG's prototype rollable smartphone from 2021 has revealed its complex inner workings. YouTube creator JerryRigEverything disassembled the device, showcasing motors and mechanisms that expand the screen by 40 percent. The video highlights challenges that likely prevented its commercial release.
LG planned to launch a rollable phone in 2021 as a differentiator in the smartphone market, but the project stalled after a teaser at CES 2021. The prototype, possibly the demo unit from that event, features two small motors that drive an internal track with zipper-like teeth to unfurl additional OLED screen from the back, increasing the display area by about 40 percent without added thickness like foldables. To mask the motors' noise, the phone plays a musical chime during expansion. A lattice of spring-loaded arms maintains the screen's flatness as the frame slides.
