LG patents a rollable foldable phone (wait, what?)

We’ve seen HUAWEI, Motorola, and Samsung all launch foldable phones in the last 12 months, but LG has been curiously absent in this regard. Nevertheless, a new patent points to the firm working on a rather interesting foldable solution.

South Korean outlet Asia Time (h/t: Sleepy Kuma) reports that LG is working on a device with a rollable and foldable display, citing a patent filing as well. Check out the image at the top of the article for a better idea of the gadget.

According to the outlet, the idea is that you pull on the right side of the LG foldable phone to go from a small screen to a tablet-sized display (seen below left). From here, it seems like you’re able to extend the screen even further and fold it into a laptop-style form factor.

It’s a pretty crazy design when foldable phones in general are still at a relatively early stage of development. But if executed properly, it could deliver what is essentially a laptop in a phone-like form factor. The above image shows a rather wonky aspect ratio for the laptop screen in particular, but hopefully LG fixes this if it ends up being a commercially available product.

It would also be handy if LG offered a keyboard accessory to go with the rollable, foldable phone, giving you a proper laptop-style typing experience rather than prodding on the touchscreen.

What’s the ideal form factor for a foldable phone in your book? Let us know in the comments section! Otherwise, you can check out more articles via the list below.

• LG’s quad DAC: Everything you need to know
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• 5 things we want to see from the Google Pixel 5
• How much does it cost to replace a foldable phone’s screen?
• HUAWEI Mate XS review: Know when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em