LG's first expandable phone was first shown earlier this year, during CES 2021. The smartphone really does look like a revolutionary design, coming from a company that had launched the very bold Lg wing. A few months later, statements from executives suggested that the project (and perhaps the company's entire line of smartphones) was in the last. If you were on the frustrated team, hold on to your seat: the LG Rollable has received Bluetooth SIG certification, which indicates that it is almost ready to be released.

Unless LG has learned how to fold a screen in the last few weeks, it's likely that the smartphone was already in the final stages of development when the insiders started suggesting that it might not be released. It could all be a marketing strategy to try to keep the spotlight on the device, or it could simply be a complete blunder by the board members.

And it would make sense. The fact is that the public did not respond to LG's ambitions when it dared. The Lg wing, radically innovative but expensive and with so-so hardware, ended up being a sales failure, with a huge investment in development. It sold less than 100 units. If the new project is another failure, then perhaps LG's mobile phone business is really at risk.

Understand (?)

Initially, information emerged that the LG would stop producing mid-range and entry-level smartphones, to focus on premium models. In this situation, the launch of the LG Rollable (which certainly won't be cheap) would remain, and as soon as it was ready, the cell phone would be launched. The decision was based on the fact that the company realized that the public didn't care about the brand's more common models.

Shortly thereafter, a statement sent to employees indicated that the company was looking for buyers for its entire mobile devices division. This would be the result of consecutive losses every quarter since 2015, which would have made the sector's operations unviable.

This was the point at which the launch of the LG Rollable was put into question and, in fact, leaks indicated that LG was looking for ways to reduce the loss from the breach of contract for the flexible screens that were ready for the device. Until came a statement from an LG spokesperson to The Verge. “I can firmly deny that any decision on future mobile products has been finalized,” he said without naming the LG Rollable (which despite having been announced has not yet had its name confirmed).

If the flexible is really ready, as the certification indicates, it could hit stores soon. Could it be that, unlike with the Wing, LG can now really change the game for everyone?

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. TechRadar