TCL teased the world’s first concept rollable smartphone back in 2020, but nobody has made a mass-market smartphone using the technology yet. That could change soon because leaks suggest South Korean electronics major, Samsung, plans to launch the rollable smartphone this year.
A reliable leaker of Samsung’s plans goes by UniverseIce on Twitter. They claim the brand will add a third foldable smartphone to its arsenal comprised of the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 in the second half of the year. The company is using the codenames B4, Q4, and N4 for the models expected this year. Rumor has it that B4 and Q4 correspond to the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4, while N4 is a reference to a new unseen device.
UniverseIce has reason to believe that the device with a rollable screen is codenamed “Diamond.” In response to the leaker’s tweet, Display Supply Chain Consultants analyst Ross Young replied, saying production of the rollable had been pushed beyond 2022, according to what he had heard. He added he would need to confirm if UniverseIce’s prediction of the launch timeline is accurate or not.
We previously had the Samsung slidable starting production by the end of 2022, then we heard it was pushed out. Will have to confirm if it was pulled back in or not. Thanks.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) March 24, 2022
Besides Samsung, many other notable smartphone makers are racing to develop the first consumer-grade rollable display. LG famously teased the concept at CES 2021, and Oppo is also known to be working on the technology. Meanwhile, the rumor mill for Apple products doesn’t suggest a foldable or rollable iPhone is likely in the years to come.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) records show Apple has explored the rollable display technology. A March 2020 patent describes an “electronic device with flexible display structures” that can be wrapped around one or more cylindrical rollers housed inside the iPhone body. This allows the screen to roll in and out of the phone while a rigid section houses the driver circuits and other necessary electronics.
