Samsung teases rollable and slidable smartphones

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (along with their predecessors) Samsung already has more foldable phones on the market than other companies, but it looks like this might just be the beginning, with new models and whole new form factors possibly in the works.

The company has launched a site highlighting various different uses for flexible OLED screens, and as well as the designs we’ve seen so far, the site also shows a ‘Slidable Flex’ design, which appears to be a flat display that can be extended by pulling the edges, and a ‘Rollable Flex’ screen which can unfurl from a tube.

Then there’s also the ‘Flex Note’, which is less interesting as it’s basically just the Galaxy Z Fold design turned on its side, for more of a laptop-like look.

It’s worth noting that Samsung hasn’t confirmed it’s working on phones with any of these designs – they’re simply possible use cases of its flexible OLED screen tech. Still, the fact that they’ve been shown here suggests the company might at least be considering them.

Then again, the word ‘phone’ isn’t actually used alongside any of these displays, so they could just as well be used in TVs, laptops, or other gadgets. So don’t get your hopes up about seeing a rollable Samsung phone anytime soon, but don’t count it out either.


Analysis: a rollable revolution

Samsung isn’t the only company exploring rollable phones, as we’ve also seen rollable phone concepts from the likes of TCL, while we even went hands on with the rollable Oppo X 2021.

LG reportedly even came very close to putting one (dubbed the LG Rollable) on sale, before abruptly exiting the smartphone market.

So it seems that rollable phones could be the next step in smartphone design, and by the looks of things Samsung might have some competition in the space, though when we’ll actually be able to buy such a phone still isn’t entirely clear.

TOPICS

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 in blue
Move over Samsung Galaxy S25, Samsung’s most exciting 2025 launches will be its 4 rumored foldables
A tease of Samsung's product roadmap
Samsung just teased a tri-fold folding phone at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
Huawei Mate XT
Samsung shows off two tri-fold concept phones at CES 2025 – and I hope the right one gets made
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Leaked codenames point to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Z Fold SE 2
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung shows off a creaseless folding phone display – and it improves on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 design in 3 key ways
a photo of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung Galaxy tri-fold – 5 key rumored features, from its screen size to its hinge
Latest in Samsung Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could have even smaller bezels - and that could mean an even bigger display
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on an orange background
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is still full price and I don't know what Samsung's playing at
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Will Samsung's new Galaxy AI features come to older devices? Here's what we know
'Circle to Search' on a Galaxy S25 Ultra can now identify a song you sing, hum, or play.
Samsung’s clever new ‘Circle to Search’ trick could help you figure out that song that is stuck in your head
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
We celebrate the Samsung Galaxy S25 launch event with a special episode of our podcast
Samsung Galaxy S24 hands on handheld back straight white
Samsung Galaxy S25 AI leak teases major Gemini upgrades and new morning briefings
Latest in News
An image of the Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 could have AI upscaling similar to PS5 Pro’s PSSR according to patent, and it could be a gamechanger for graphics on the upcoming console
PowerColor Red Devil AMD RX 9070 XT graphics card shown side-on
Your next GPU could be from AMD, not Nvidia, if Team Red’s success with PC gamers continues
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #1149)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #380)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #646)
Samsung Galaxy S24 hands on handheld back straight white
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is getting one of the S25’s biggest video upgrades with One UI 7 – here’s why Log Video matters