There’s a lot to like about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S11 (potentially now renamed Galaxy S20): the supersized battery, next-gen biometrics, the ambitious new ‘Hubble’ camera. It’s smart, evolutionary and desirable. But it isn’t jaw-droppingly radical like the new Galaxy phone Samsung just exposed for the first time. (01/10 update below)
Samsung Rollable phone concept
In an exclusive, popular Korean site ET News reveals Samsung executives used the company’s private booth at CES 2020 to break cover on its most radical smartphone in years: a phone with a rollable display.
Inviting only senior partners to see the phone, those who saw it tell ET News the phone uses a plastic screen similar to the Galaxy Fold and pressing a button on the side of the chassis makes the standard 6-inch display unroll to 8-inches. Pressing the button again causes the phone to shrink back down to its original size.
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Based on the descriptions, LetsGoDigital has produced the following renders which show how the phone evolves from a reasonably compact smartphone to a tablet. It also demonstrates the clear advantages of rollable screens over folding ones: no crease down the display and no need for two chassis, resulting in a much slimmer form factor.
Render showing Samsung's rollable Galaxy smartphone, based on eyewitness reports
While Samsung’s plans for this remarkable device remain unknown, the fact Samsung is showing it to partners confirms the company is happy with its development. We shouldn’t be surprised either since Samsung has demonstrated rollable glass panels in the past and it filed patents for a foldable phone back in June last year. The technology is also maturing fast with LG confirming plans to launch the world’s first rollable TV this year.
It’s extremely unlikely that we’ll see Samsung launch its first rollable phone this year but with LG, TLC and Xiaomi all known to be researching this form factor as well, the race is clearly on.
Until then, you’ll just have to put up with either the company’s mysterious new Galaxy Fold or the Galaxy S11 and its 108MP camera, almost bezel-free display and buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate. 5G comes as standard. Considering Apple’s similarly ambitious 2020 iPhone plans, the year is shaping up to be a truly exciting one for phone fans.
01/10 Update: Samsung's mysterious new Galaxy Fold has just been identified via leaked photos from SamMobile as the 'Galaxy Bloom' and will open up in a clamshell form factor. Watch this space.
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