LG rollable flexes on Samsung Galaxy S21 at CES presser

LG reveals its upcoming rollable just days before the Samsung Unpacked event

LG rollable smartphone
(Image credit: LG)

It's CES 2021 this week, which means it's time for a plethora of new gadgets and tech to be revealed, and LG wrapped up its press conference with a brief look at its upcoming LG rollable smartphone.

LG is no stranger to rollable displays, having already released a rollable display TV, and although it didn't dedicate a segment of its press conference to the upcoming smartphone, the company dropped a little teaser right at the end. 

LG rollable smartphone

(Image credit: LG)

The LG rollable has surfaced before, as far back as 2019, and is part of the Explorer Project along with the equally unique LG Wing

Referred to as Project B, a patent filed last year gave us a glimpse at how the company might leverage the tech at its disposal to manufacture such a device. The handset looks similar to renders we've seen (based on the patent), and hangs around on screen for less than 10 seconds at the close of the LG CES press conference video

But it's enough to see the rollable display in action, which shrinks from its maximum screen size, to the traditional candy bar form factor of traditional smartphones. 

We don't know if the screen vacillates between two set sizes, or if it can be adjusted to anywhere between a minimum and maximum size, like the Oppo X 2021, but it looks pretty sizeable in its extended form.

LG hasn't been forthcoming with any more details on its rollable smartphone, which is rumored for a March release, but it won't be alone in its endeavour; we well as Oppo, Xiaomi is also working on a rollable smartphone.

Meanwhile Samsung is bringing its first Unpacked event of the year forward, where it'll be unveiling the Galaxy S21. The new S series is debuting in just a few days, so Samsung is going to find it hard to keep the attention on its bog standard rectangular smartphone this week, with devices like this doing the rounds. 

If you're in the market for a new phone sooner rather than later, check out T34's best smartphone guide. We've also got you covered if purse strings are tight and you need a cheap smartphone. If you're married to Android devices, it's worth dropping by our best Android phone guide too.

Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.