LG's laptops might become rollable in the future

LG launched the Signature OLED R TV this year. It is a ground-breaking device in that it finally brings this OEM's long-hyped rollable tech to the market for the first time. This means that its 65-inch flexible OLED panel is mounted on a backing that allows it to roll and unroll at the user's discretion. The same backing also integrates actuators that allows the Signature R to deploy upward from its long, soundbar-like housing.

This is an innovative application of flexible OLED that probably also makes moving a breeze, even if it currently commands a US$87,000 price-tag for all this convenience and novelty. A Twitter-based leaker called Gadgetsdata has posted images from what is described as intellectual property belonging to LG that seems to depict a laptop built along the same lines.

Accordingly, the resulting device has a "bar" like that of the ultra-premium new TV, within which the "rollable notebook" can curl up when not in use. This new leak also seems to indicate that this allows the screen to assume sizes from 13 to 17 inches, although this might require that the display rolls in 2 directions at once.

This patent was originally filed with the Korean patent office in 2019, although it has only been published by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in November 2020. In addition, it seems this concept might require wireless or dockable keyboards, which might impact on the normal all-in-one appeal of a laptop for portability.

However, it does imply the potential of this emerging rollable display type for other device classes. For example, one could see it working for a desktop, especially alongside conventional wireless peripherals. In addition, there are hints that LG intends to apply it to next-gen tablets and smartphones, which would indeed be a useful evolution in mobile tech.