Samsung could counter Huawei’s newly launched tri-folding smartphone with a rollable phone next year. The Korean firm plans to release the device in the second half of 2025. It’s part of a strategic expansion to new form factors as the foldable market becomes more saturated and flagship sales face a decline.
Samsung is readying a rollable phone for 2025
Last year, a report surfaced that Samsung is working on a rollable smartphone. The device was said to arrive sometime in 2025. The company allegedly picked the rollable form factor over a tri-fold phone. Samsung did consider the latter concept at one point, even filing design patents, but eventually decided to go with rollables. Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate debuted earlier this month as the world’s first tri-fold smartphone.
A new report from the Korean media says Samsung aims to equip its first rollable phone with a 12.4-inch screen. While details are scarce, it could be the same rollable display that the company unveiled at the SID Display Week in May 2023. When rolled up, you get a regular smartphone-sized screen to play with. You can pull out the rest of the screen when needed, effectively converting a phone into a tablet in a jiffy.
The said device may also feature an under-display camera (UDC). Samsung is rumored to offer an upgraded UDC for the internal selfie camera on the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. UDC could be the way forward for these types of unconventional smartphones, which are primarily about offering more screen space in smaller packages. Expect to hear more about Samsung’s rollable phone ambition in the coming months.
If the rumored launch timeline is accurate, the Korean firm could bag the title of the world’s first rollable smartphone. It launched the world’s first commercial 5G phone (Galaxy S10 5G) and foldable (Galaxy Fold) in 2019 but lost the race to a tri-fold phone to Huawei. Time will tell whether Samsung can beat rivals to the rollable party.
