Why You Can Trust CNET Samsung Unveils Rollable Display Concept for Laptops and PCs
The screen rolls up like a paper scroll.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Samsung Display has taken the wraps off its new rollable screen technology for larger screens, saying it could "revolutionize the portability of tablet PCs or laptops."
Unlike current slidable and foldable devices, which Samsung says only triples the size of a screen, Samsung says the Rollable Flex screen expands to five times the size -- from 49mm to 254.4mm in length. It does so by rolling the display around an O-shaped axis like a scroll of paper.
This could make larger devices like laptops and tablets smaller and easier to carry.
It's not the first time we've seen a rollable display; the Motorola Rizr concept phone was revealed this year after LG showed off a phone with a rollable screen back in 2021 before exiting the smart phone market, which came after showing off a rollable TV at CES in January 2019.
Read more: Best Foldable Phones in 2023: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip, Moto Razr
Samsung is also showcasing its Sensor OLED Display, which recognizes fingerprints anywhere on a screen and can measure your blood pressure, heart rate and stress levels when you touch two fingers on the screen.
Unlike in current smart phones, the fingerprint sensor is embedded in the smartphone panel rather than underneath it as a separate module.
"To accurately measure a person's blood pressure, it is necessary to measure the blood pressure of both arms," Samsung Display said in a statement. "The Sensor OLED Display can simultaneously sense the fingers of both hands, providing more accurate health information than existing wearable devices."
Samsung's new tech is currently being showcased during SID Display Week in Los Angeles. Also on display from the tech giant this week:
- A foldable phone concept called Flex In and Out for phones that can be folded 360 degrees both inwards and outwards. This tech could lead to lighter and thinner foldable phones, Samsung Display says.
- A combination of foldable and slidable screens, called Flex Hybrid, announced earlier this year at CES 2023.
- A slidable display called Slidable Flex Solo that changes from a 13-inch tablet to a 17-inch screen.
