While we’ll never see LG’s rollable smartphone hit the market, there’s still a chance that such a device will eventually be introduced by a different manufacturer. One such company is tech giant Lenovo, which recently teased not one but two prototypes featuring rollable displays during its Tech World 2022 event earlier today.
The first of which is a Motorola smartphone that is developed by Lenovo’s internal innovation group known as 312 Labs. During the showcase, the handset is shown to feature a compact form factor of about four inches tall, which then expanded into a more conventional looking size of about 6.5-inches via its rollable display technology. Much like its recent Motorola Razr releases, it looks like the company is sticking with the concept of transforming traditional sized devices into easily pocketable forms and back – this time around with a rollable approach instead of foldable.
Granted, the phone showcased may not seem all that impressive, but keep in mind that it is merely a proof of concept that’s meant to showcase Lenovo’s own rollable technology. That being said, there’s no plans for an actual release but should it ever exit its prototype phase, expect the finalised product to likely feature a completely different design.
The second device teased is a laptop prototype, which is perhaps the more stranger looking one amongst the two. Instead of having a hidden display that rolls out when activated (ala LG’s rollable TV), it instead features a conventional laptop design but with an expandable display. This basically means that its screen can change to a taller aspect ratio if desired, which is rather unusual. However, as proven by devices such as the DualUp Monitor Ergo by (again) LG, having the ability to expand screen estate to such sizes has its advantages.
For now, Lenovo did not announce any plans for a mass produced version of the laptop. But should it decide to do so in the near future, chances are that the device will be released under the brand’s Think line-up, much like its foldable model.
(Source: Lenovo Tech World 2022 live stream)
