Samsung Set to Unveil Innovative Rollable Screens This April!

CES Laptops featuring extensible displays that provide larger screens are soon to be a reality, thanks to Lenovo and Samsung.

Lenovo enjoys showcasing avant-garde hardware prototypes at exhibitions and in 2022, presented laptops and smartphones possessing extendable screens that expanded the size of the devices’ interfaces. In its prototype laptop, the device commenced in a traditional clamshell design which, when opened, could elevate its display vertically.

This week, the Chinese firm revealed that the laptop has entered production under the name “ThinkBook Plus Gen 6,” capable of enlarging its 14-inch screen to a 16.7-inch size. Here’s a video showcasing the device in operation.

Youtube Video

The device will be priced starting at $3,499. A specification sheet provided in Lenovo’s announcement above does not specify the display’s resolution, but does indicate that the PC will feature a Core Ultra 7 processor, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, weighing 1.69kg, and presented in a 303 x 230 x 19.9mm format before it expands its display.

Display prototypes of the device have been exhibited at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, though it will not be available for purchase until June.

A potential reason for this delay might be this announcement on Thursday from Samsung Display, which disclosed that it produced the display utilized by Lenovo and plans to begin mass production of similar units in April. Samsung’s statement also indicates that the display employed by Lenovo transitions from a 5:4 aspect ratio to an 8:9 ratio – though without mentioning its resolution.

Youngseok Kim, Vice President and Head of Samsung Display IT Sales, provided a standard quote stating, “As the rollable display extends, it may undergo stress, but informed by our foldable mass-production experience, we have engineered it to ensure durability in our rollable products.”

Lenovo believes the device will enhance users’ posture and productivity, while Samsung suggests it will provide “an improved view for effective multitasking.”

This might also generate some revenue and profit for Samsung. The South Korean giant is in need of both, as it recently released earnings forecasts for Q4, predicting an operating profit of ₩6.5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) on revenues of ₩75 trillion.

The profit figures fell short of expectations, and appear to be somewhat due to ongoing issues in memory manufacturing, which has hampered Samsung’s efforts to capitalize on the AI surge.

If many of you were to go out and purchase a rollable laptop, or the Galaxy S smartphones that are set to launch soon, it might aid in this effort. ®