Latest rollable and foldable rumors point to new devices from Sony and Apple

2019 was supposed to be the year of the foldable smartphone, but things have gone a bit pear shaped. Samsung's Galaxy Fold was to have ushered in the first foldable smartphone in late April and we expected that Huawei would follow with the launch of the Mate X in June. However, the Mate X has now been pushed back till at least September, while the Galaxy Fold still hasn't got an official relaunch date, although it is said to be ready to roll out.

While those two devices have had some hiccups with their respective debuts, it is inevitable that foldable and rollable devices will become prevalent sooner or later. A couple of rumors to this effect suggest that Sony could have a rollable smartphone on the market as soon as late this year or in early 2020, while Apple could also launch a folding iPad with 5G capability. Leakster Max J posted some alleged specs of the Sony (see below) which sound promising.

The Apple foldable iPad rumor is much less clear in terms of its proposed design approach. However, IHS Markit says that this device would also offer support for 5G networks. Given that Apple's first iPhones with 5G won't hit until late 2020, it seems the foldable iPad would probably arrive in 2021, if at all. That said, iOS 13/iPad OS would make an ideal operating system for a foldable making Apple the most likely to succeed should it be prepared to take a chance on the form factor.