The first rollable smartphone could be in your hands early next year - Android

LG's Project B rollable phone could also open the door for a more ambitious flagship codenamed Rainbow in 2021.

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Not content with those glass-slab form factors we now accept as traditional, LG is rolling ahead with more ambitious smartphone plans.

Korean tech publication The Elec reports that LG’s rollable smartphone project is called Project B, named after the company’s CEO Kwon Bong-seok.

Patents discovered last month pointed to LG looking at rollable, bendable devices to join dual-screen offerings like the V60 ThinQ. The company is now apparently working on prototypes of the device.

The rollable screen concept would give users as much display as required thanks to a nifty scrolling system that lets users extend or retract the display as required. This form factor would likely require rejigging of components such as the battery.

Chinese display manufacturer BOE, not LG Display, is reportedly developing the panel alongside the Korean smartphone maker. The company does supply other manufacturers like Huawei with bendable screens, but has apparently come under fire for quality issues. It was recently reported that BOE OLED panels set to be used in the next Galaxy S series failed quality testing.

Beyond Project B, which is apparently set for an early 2021 launch, LG is said to be planning two additional devices. The report hints at a “horizontal” smartphone code-named Wing set to launch later this year. A flagship code-named Rainbow is also launching in 2021.

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