[Update: LG denies] LG Rollable may not see the light of day, according to a new report

Ben Schoon | Feb 23 2021 - 8:42 am PT

After numerous teases, LG confirmed earlier this year that it would be releasing a smartphone later this year with a rolling display. Well, that might not work out. According to a new report, the LG Rollable may not see a release date.

Yonhap News claims that LG has put its Rollable project on hold, which includes telling suppliers such as display maker BOE to hit pause on contracts. Apparently, some analysts believe this could lead to LG scrapping the project entirely along with development times that were more “sluggish than expected.”

Industry observers speculated that the pace of LG’s rollable smartphone development could have been more sluggish than expected and that the company may have felt pressure delivering successful results with the product in the market.

Update 2/23: LG has just come out to deny reports that it has put its Rollable smartphone on hold. The company “firmly denied” the report to The Verge. So, at this point, it seems like nothing has been finalized.

It’s worth noting, though, that LG also firmly denied reports that the company was considering a sale of its smartphone business, only for LG to confirm the news a week later.

That news is unfortunate, as LG was set to be among the first to launch a rollable smartphone publicly, but this product possibly being scrapped isn’t exactly surprising. Just last month, it was widely reported that LG was exploring options for the future of its smartphone division, with a sale on the table. Apparently, a strong candidate for a buyer is already in talks, too.

While it’s unclear what will happen with LG Rollable, the concept itself is sure to come to market sooner than later. To date, we’ve seen progress with this form factor from TCL, Xiaomi, and Oppo among others, but LG Rollable was the only device with any clear release window.