TCL teases rollable AMOLED display for phones and a scroll-like printed OLED panel

It appears that the era of rollable phones is upon is, now that foldables have slowly started to become mainstream. TCL showcased a smartphone concept with a unique slide-out display last year, while OPPO and LG have also given us a glimpse of their respective rollable phone designs this year. TCL is back at CES 2021 with another take on the technology, showcasing a rollable AMOLED panel for phones that offers a different design take on this concept.

Instead of extending the panel horizontally, TCL’s concept rollable AMOLED shows a phone whose display extends vertically upwards. For ease of comparison, TCL adopts an approach similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, while the upcoming rollable offerings from OPPO, LG, and TCL’s own concept from last year adopted a book-like folding factor akin to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. TCL says its rollable AMOLED panel can go from 6.7-inch to a tablet-like 7.8-inch size. However, there is no word when, or if, this concept will make it to the mass market.

But that’s not all, as TCL one-upped its rollable AMOLED display announcement with another concept reveal – a 17-inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display that actually opens like a scroll. TCL says it has created the panel using the inkjet printing technology and that it can cover 100% of the color gamut. TCL claims that it is currently focusing on commercializing its latest display innovations and that it can produce these panels at a lower cost compared to rivals.

TCL says its OLED Scrolling Display “has the potential to be applied to TV, curved, foldable devices as well as transparent commercial displays.” As per the teaser shown by the company, its wild scrolling OLED display can be an ideal solution for taking on a hike for showing detailed navigation information. However, the company didn’t reveal any details as to when a commercial product using this breakthrough technology will be launched.