April 8, 2026
Unroll the drama
Teardown of unreleased LG Rollable shows why rollable phones aren't a thing
LG’s rollable phone guts drop; commenters split: cool magic trick or fragile money pit
TLDR: A teardown of LG’s unreleased rollable shows a clever, motorized screen that expands—cool, complicated, and likely pricey. Commenters split between “fragile gimmick,” “no worse than foldables,” and pure LG nostalgia, with extra gripes about autoplay ads—explaining why this bold idea never reached your pocket.
LG’s long-lost rollable phone just got cracked open on YouTube, and the comment section is doing victory laps. The prototype stretches wider with a swipe, powered by tiny motors, tracks, and even a musical chime to cover the grinding noise. It’s a wild peek inside a gadget that never launched—and that’s exactly where the community drama ignites.
On one side: nostalgia. Fans are misty-eyed for the LG era, with one reminiscing about old LG perks like built‑in TV remotes. On another: the skeptics. Some argue the teardown didn’t prove why rollables “aren’t a thing,” saying it doesn’t look worse than today’s foldables. Others call it a fragile flex, pointing to all those moving parts and asking who wants a phone that sings to hide its creaks. Price panic also looms—commenters joke this would’ve cost “foldable money,” but with extra anxiety.
Then there’s the meta-drama: a hero drops the direct link, while others groan about extra video ads before the actual video. The vibe? Half museum tour, half roast. Whether you see a clever, thinner alternative to a foldable or a high-tech fidget toy waiting to break, the comments make one thing clear: LG’s last magic trick still knows how to steal the show.
Key Points
- •A working prototype of LG’s unreleased Rollable phone was obtained and torn down by JerryRigEverything.
- •The device expanded its OLED display by roughly 40% using a motorized mechanism that unrolled additional screen from the back.
- •Internals featured two small motors with straight-tooth drives, zipper-like teeth to secure the screen, and a lattice of spring-loaded arms for panel evenness.
- •LG added a musical chime to mask the audible noise from the motors during operation.
- •The complex design implied high manufacturing costs, contributing to why the rollable form factor did not reach market before LG exited smartphones in 2021.