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Teardown Confirms LG’s Canceled Rollable Phone Was Near-Ready

The findings spotlight a path the smartphone market skipped, with foldables now the go-to despite crease lines.

Overview

  • Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything disassembled an LG Rollable prototype, reassembled it, and powered it on without issues.
  • The expansion system uses two geared motors on a rack with three spring-loaded arms, zipper-like edge linkages, and dust-blocking bristles, with a reported durability target of about 200,000 cycles.
  • The screen grows from about 6.8 inches to roughly 7.4 inches without a crease, as the software resizes apps and wallpapers in real time.
  • When compact, the rolled section sits behind a glass back and acts as a small rear display for widgets and camera previews.
  • Core hardware matches a 2021 flagship, including a 4,500mAh battery, a 64MP main camera with optical stabilization, a 12MP ultrawide, and USB-C, in a product that never shipped after LG closed its phone business in 2021 and as no rollable has reached market since.