A rollable phone could make you forget about foldables, but how far off is it?

Less than a decade ago, foldable phones seemed like the stuff of sci-fi. But in 2024, there are at least a dozen foldable phones available, even though only a few are readily accessible in the United States. Today’s foldables typically fall into one of two categories: foldable phones that turn into tablets, and flip phones that resemble traditional smartphones when unfolded but feature a flip design reminiscent of phones from yesteryear.

These niche devices certainly have a market, but they could become irrelevant in the not-too-distant future. Why? In a word, rollable phones could be the real endgame here. Let’s take a look at what a rollable phone is, who’s working on it, and how it could be a superior alternative to today’s foldables.