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Samsung Rollable reportedly expands compact 16:9 display at the touch of a button

Samsung is reportedly developing a smartphone with a rollable display that could be significantly more compact than the LG Rollable. An exceptionally reliable leaker has now revealed the first details about this Samsung Rollable.

Samsung is reportedly developing a handset whose OLED panel extends vertically rather than horizontally when unrolled, a design that would let the device stay pocketable while offering a much taller canvas for video and multitasking.

The claim comes from the well-known leaker Ice Universe, who said the screen shifts from a 16:9 aspect ratio in its rolled-up state to 21:9 when fully extended. Partial unrolling is also said to be possible, meaning users could stop the panel at an intermediate size instead of choosing between two fixed formats.

The approach differs from earlier attempts at the category. LG's long-teased Rollable, shown off in prototype form in 2021, was designed to widen sideways; LG pulled out of the smartphone business entirely just before that product was due to reach shelves, and no rollable handset has reached the market since. Foldables have filled the gap instead, and the form factor has become a fixture of premium lineups.

According to the leak, the engineering hurdle is interior space. The mechanism that extends the display is said to consume a substantial amount of room inside the chassis, leaving Samsung with the task of packaging a battery large enough to keep runtime competitive when the screen is fully stretched out. A larger panel draws more power, so the trade-off between the roll mechanism and cell capacity is likely to shape the final design.

Timing remains unclear. The information is described as very early, and a commercial launch could be years away if the plans hold at all. Samsung has not commented on the report.

Separately, Samsung continues to push the boundaries of large-format flexible screens in tablets. SamMobile reported on a development model that unfolds from an 8-inch slate into a 17-inch tablet, with two designs under consideration. One folds outward, producing screens on both the front and back of the folded device, with one side switching off when closed; the other folds inward in the manner of current foldable phones and pairs the main panel with an 8-inch cover display. The outward design raises durability questions because the display is always exposed, while the inward version adds cost, thickness and weight by requiring two panels.

Samsung's display arm has built a deep portfolio of folding and bending technologies, work that underpins the company's multi-fold phones and has fueled speculation about devices with even more hinges. The 17-inch tablet concept and the rollable phone sit at different points on that roadmap, but both depend on the same underlying flexible-panel capability.

For the market, a vertically extending phone would represent a third path alongside book-style foldables and clamshells. A compact 16:9 device that becomes a tall 21:9 screen could appeal to users who want a bigger viewing area without the width that makes foldables awkward to hold. Any commercial launch would also test whether consumers will pay a premium for a motorized mechanism whose long-term durability is unproven.

The LG Rollable was supposed to demonstrate back in 2021 that rollable displays were ready for the market and were a genuine alternative to foldables. However, LG exited the smartphone market entirely shortly before this model's launch. Since then, foldables such as the Motorola Razr Fold ($2,299 on Amazon) have become increasingly popular, but a smartphone with a rollable display still does not exist.

That could soon change, according to information from leaker Ice Universe, as Samsung is reportedly developing a smartphone with a rollable OLED display. Unlike the LG Rollable, this smartphone is said to become taller rather than wider when the panel is unrolled. This has the advantage that the device could be relatively compact when rolled up. The display's aspect ratio reportedly increases from 16:9 when rolled up to 21:9 when the device is fully unrolled, although it should also be possible to unroll the screen only partially.

However, the mechanism for unrolling the display is said to take up a lot of space inside the chassis. For this reason, Samsung reportedly faces the challenge of fitting a sufficiently large battery into this rollable to deliver competitive battery life even with the display fully unrolled. It is not yet known when this rollable will hit the market. Since these are still very early rumors, the launch could still be years away, assuming Samsung's plans do not change.

Battery space could be the biggest compromise...Ice Universe identifies battery capacity as a potential obstacle. The sliding mechanism would reportedly occupy a substantial amount of internal space, leaving less room for the battery.

That could become a defining engineering challenge. Samsung would need to accommodate both the expandable display hardware and the components expected in a modern smartphone without making an unacceptable compromise on battery capacity.

No battery specification has been disclosed, so the warning should not be interpreted as evidence of poor endurance. It instead highlights a possible trade-off that the company would need to address if the design reaches production.

Earlier report pointed to Galaxy Z Slide 2028 launch...The latest rumour follows a June report suggesting Samsung was targeting the first half of 2028 for its first rollable-screen smartphone. That report said Samsung Display was discussing the supply of rollable panels with Samsung Electronics.

Galaxy Z Slide was mentioned as a possible product name. Samsung has also previously trademarked Z Roll, providing another potential branding option. Neither name confirms what the finished device would be called, and the trademark alone does not establish a launch plan.

It also remains unclear whether the vertically expanding phone described in the latest rumour is the same project discussed in June. The two reports should not be treated as confirmation of a single device or a fixed release schedule.

Samsung has also explored side-expanding designs...A Samsung patent reported earlier this year described a different approach: a rollable smartphone that expands sideways and includes a movable rear camera module. The camera assembly would shift as the screen extended, with sensors monitoring changes in the device’s configuration.

That concept differs from the vertically extending design now attributed to Ice Universe. Together, the reports suggest Samsung is examining more than one way to build an expandable smartphone, rather than necessarily working towards a single settled form factor.

A patent, however, is evidence of an explored concept—not proof that the hardware will become a commercial product.

The appeal of Samsung’s rumoured design lies in its ability to offer different screen proportions within one handset. The challenge is making that flexibility useful enough to justify the space occupied by the mechanism.

For now, the vertical expansion system, proposed aspect ratios and battery concerns all remain part of an unconfirmed report. Earlier coverage provides a possible 2028 timeframe for Samsung’s rollable ambitions, but there is no confirmed connection between that schedule and this particular design.

 

mundophone