What you need to know
- A rumor is putting Samsung’s wild rollable phone back on the table, as a patent for the “Galaxy Z Rollable” has surfaced.
- The patent (and rendered mockups) suggest the phone will slide from right to left, bringing with it a raised camera island for a tablet-like experience.
- We’ve seen Samsung show off rollable phone concepts at CES 2024 in the past, and there were reports later that year that it was focusing on its development.
One thing we didn’t expect was to hear about Samsung’s rollable phone, but here’s what we got, and illustrations to boot.
Consultant xleaks7 on X Samsung’s alleged ‘Galaxy Z Rollable’ patent has been embroiled in rumors (via WearView). If the name isn’t indicative enough, patent reportedly shows a device sliding to the left as soon as it exits the static “shell”. This makes the device feel more like a book-style foldable or tablet than a standard or regular slate phone.
Android Central’s Take
This patent looks great. I mean it from a surface level. Outgoing phone? Its screen expands to an almost tablet-like experience? Cute, huh? Not being the first to hear this rumor, what I’m struggling with is how practical it would be in the real world. Can I see this as a phone that has people rushing to the shops? I don’t know. Phones have come a long way, but maybe there’s a limit to how things won’t work the way we think.
There weren’t many specific details offered in this patent, only a look at its design and rollable functionality. However, the illustrations show Samsung’s current-inspired triple camera array Galaxy S26 series (or even 7 layers). A raised camera island sits on the left side of the phone, inside a cutout on the back. This cutout is important because once the phone is back to its compact form, it’s home to the cameras.
As the publication notes, this suggests a significant design for Samsung. It appears that the device’s hardware is moving. Remove the screen with it for a different experience. We’ve heard about Samsung’s foldable phone a few times in the past: once during a big conference and another time when the competition beat it to the Tri-Fold.
Roll it up
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We’d be more surprised by this rollable patent (or rollable phone idea) if Samsung hadn’t shown up. Concepts at CES 2024. It’s a neat idea from a tech geek’s perspective, but the company hasn’t done it indeed he knew what a phone was. During the event, Samsung showed off its Rollable Flex phone with an “expandable display that can grow up to five times its original size.” The company described the concept as a “unique device” that sounds like a real repairable nightmare; ignore concerns about its durability.
Fast forward to the end of 2024, around November, Samsung claimed he was going to follow The world’s first rollable phone after Huawei’s triple folding. The phone is said to have a 12.4-inch display upon full launch. Moreover, these reports wildly claimed that we would see it in the second half of 2025 (which did not happen). Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, as patents don’t mean a company has to deal with it.
