Samsung’s display division has teased rollable concept devices in the past, but they were always just concepts, and as far as we know, none made it close to production. Now, though, it seems that’s about to change, and a new Samsung rollable phone could best Huawei’s gigantic Mate XT with the largest screen ever on a mobile device.
The news comes after a report from the Korean outlet The Elec (via SamMobile). It claims that Samsung is developing a rollable smartphone for release in 2025. It will be around the same size as a traditional smartphone in its smallest state, but it’ll have a massive 12.4-inch screen when unrolled, dwarfing Huawei’s 10.2-inch foldable and all of the other best foldable phones. It’s also said to house an under-display selfie camera, just like the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s interior display.
This is likely to be the same panel, or very similar, to the 12.4-inch rollable display Samsung showcased at SID Display Week back in May 2023. If that’s the case, it’ll have a built-in motor and can extend or shrink in size at the touch of a button. We’ve seen similar rollable concepts from brands such as TECNO, but as of yet, none have made it onto the market.
Of course, a device like this would have the same durability drawbacks as Huawei’s latest foldable, with a fragile and flexible external display that isn’t likely to fare well if you accidentally drop the handset. We’re also not sure how waterproof it could be, given that we know from our flip and foldable phone experience that it’s difficult for manufacturers to seal moving parts. Simply put, we’re not expecting to see it on our list of the best rugged phones anytime soon.
As of right now, we don’t know any more about this upcoming handset, but it’ll be the first large-format flexible display to come in a non-folding form factor, so crease haters could be in for a treat. We’ll be on the lookout for more news, but in the meantime, check out our thoughts on Samsung’s largest foldable to date with our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review.