If you’ve been following the LG rollable phone saga, you already know that JerryRigEverything broke one a few weeks ago and somehow put it back in one piece. Now, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has his own unit, and his latest video gives us the most complete look at the phone that LG never got.
This unit comes courtesy of Dbrand, who apparently has his own ways. According to MKBHD, very few people outside of LG have ever owned one of these. In its closed state, the LG Rollable Phone looks like a standard 6.7-inch slab. However, swipe up with three fingers on the display and the motor starts, the screen opens and suddenly you have a square 7.4-inch display in your hands. There are no creases to speak of, although MKBHD notes that there is a slight ripple where the panel curves over the rail. Less noticeable than any current foldable, but not completely invisible either.
The software is where things get really amazing. LG has created a lock screen animation that blooms like a flower as the display expands. The Settings app gets a second column when the phone is open. A sound effect plays whenever you open or close it, apparently designed to mask the noise of the motors below. This is the kind of detail you only add if you’re serious about shipping something.
How close did LG really get?
Very close. The hardware is functional and the software is polished. There are even multiple motor sound options you can swap between in the settings. MKBHD showed that the motors are strong enough to push the 16-inch MacBook Pro onto a table, rubber feet and all.
The rollable panel, when closed, tucks behind a transparent glass back panel that doubles as a secondary display. You can drag widgets, check the time, or use it as a viewfinder for selfies taken with the 64-megapixel main camera. LG has also removed the physical volume buttons entirely as there is no room on the rail, replacing them with capacitive touch areas on the top edge.
Our coverage of the JerryRigEverything teardown went in-depth on what’s inside the phone, including the dual motor and spring-loaded arm system that acts as the extension. MKBHD’s video is the flip side, showing what it’s actually like to use.
Between the two, it’s hard not to wonder how things would have been if LG had stuck around long enough to launch it. From the dual-screen LG Wing to the end, LG was doing things that no one else was doing. It’s a pity because for all we know, this could have been the game-changer the smartphone industry needed.
