While Apple is busy with a thinner iPhone 17 Air, Samsung is readying the Galaxy Z Roll with a huge 12.4-inch display

Samsung rollable phone concept — (Image credit: LetsGoDigital)

Apple is slated to release the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air early next month on September 9, but Samsung is going to steal some of Apple's thunder with an Unpacked event on September 4, where we expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE and the Tab 11.

The company could also take some Apple shine with the release of a rollable Galaxy smartphone later this year, per one somewhat viral video.

[K-Display 2024] 삼성디스플레이, AI에 최적화된 다양한 혁신 제품들을 선보이다! - YouTube

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A rollable display isn't exactly a new Samsung idea. In early 2024, a rollable phone and rollable tablet were spotted in a granted patent that shows how the screen could expand from a standard phone size to more of a tablet orientation.

Samsung Display showed off a version of its rollable tech during K-Display 2024. We saw a version of it at AWE 2025, though it was tangential to the smart glasses displays the company was there to show off.

Rumors surrounding a Samsung rollable go back as far as 2022, when a World Intellectual Property Organization patent was discovered. That patent showed a device with a transparent rollable section of screen, either a horizontal display or one that rises vertically from the top of the phone.

Other rollable devices

Motorola Rizr expanding display — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Samsung is reportedly going to release a rollable phone later this year, but even if it doesn't launch, there are already rollable devices available for you to try.

In early August, we tested out the world's first rollable laptop in the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. The ThinkBook laptop uses a flexible display that can vertically extend from 14 inches to 16.7 inches, which is different from foldable phones that fold the display in half.

On the phone front, the first one we can recall is the Motorola Rizr from 2023, which slides up, extending the screen from a 5-inch, 16:9 display to a 6.5-inch, 22:9 screen with the double press of a button. Unfortunately, Motorola hasn't done anything with the Mizr phone since then.

Outlook

Samsung may have finally cracked the foldable phone with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but perhaps a rollable device could make expandable screens more enticing.

Or not, Apple is rumored to launch its own foldable next year and as far as we're aware, there are no rumors that it's looking into rollable screens.

Samsung is rumored to launch its trifold device this year, and it would be a surprise if it launched both a trifold phone and a rollable one. Right now, more rumors and leaks point to the Galaxy Fold G being closer to release than anything rollable.

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Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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