LG once aimed to shake up the smartphone world with innovative designs, but their rollable phone never made it past the concept stage. Now, a recent teardown of an unreleased LG Rollable reveals why these devices haven’t become popular. The phone was shown in a YouTube video that exposes the complex inner workings and hints at why foldable and rollable phones remain expensive and niche.

The Rise and Fall of LG’s Rollable Concept

LG was a major player in the smartphone industry, competing closely with Samsung. However, as sales slowed and the market became more competitive, LG decided to exit the smartphone business in 2021. Before pulling out, LG teased a rollable phone, promising a new way to expand screen size without adding bulk. Unfortunately, that device never reached consumers and stayed in the concept phase.

Fast forward five years, and the LG Rollable has appeared in a teardown video. The device looks like a regular phone at first glance, but it has a hidden feature. A quick swipe activates a motor that unfurls the screen, giving about 40% more display area. This design aims to combine the best of both worlds—compactness and a larger screen—without the thickness of foldable phones. But the teardown exposes the device’s complexity and high manufacturing costs, which may be part of why rollables haven’t gone mainstream.

What the Teardown Revealed About the Technology

In the teardown, the YouTube creator, known for destroying phones to see how they’re built, managed to get a working prototype of the LG Rollable. It’s believed to be the same unit LG showcased at CES 2021. Inside, the device is packed with intricate components designed to allow the screen to slide and unfurl smoothly.

The inner mechanics involve a motor, sliders, and flexible OLED screens. These parts must work perfectly for the device to function reliably. The complexity explains why such phones are expensive to develop and produce. If they were to go on sale, they might have commanded even higher prices than current foldables, making them less accessible to everyday consumers.

This teardown shows that making a reliable rollable phone requires advanced engineering. The components are delicate, and the technology is still evolving. As a result, the high costs and technical challenges have likely kept rollable phones from becoming a mass-market product.

Why Rollable Phones Are Still Not Mainstream

While flexible OLED screens have become more affordable, the entire mechanism needed for a rollable device remains complicated. The added moving parts increase the risk of failure and raise manufacturing costs. Consumers have also shown resistance to paying high prices for foldable phones, which are still quite expensive.

Manufacturers are cautious about investing heavily in rollable technology until it becomes more reliable and affordable. For now, traditional smartphones and foldables dominate the market. The teardown of the LG Rollable highlights the technical hurdles and high costs that keep rollable phones from becoming a common sight in stores.

In the end, the teardown confirms that while the idea of a phone that can expand its screen with a simple swipe is appealing, the practical challenges are significant. Until the technology improves and costs drop, rollable phones are likely to remain a niche innovation rather than a mainstream product.

Inspired by

• https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/teardown-of-unreleased-lg-rollable-shows-why-rollable-phones-arent-a-thing/