Samsung Reportedly Working on a Rollable Phone That Stretches From 16:9 to 21:9

Samsung's next big form-factor experiment could be a phone that stretches. According to tipster Ice Universe, the company is working on a device with a vertically expandable display that rolls out to change its shape from a standard 16:9 to a wide 21:9. The same report says the biggest hurdle so far is the battery, and that a debut in the first half of 2028 is possible.

Nothing here is confirmed. Samsung has not announced a rollable phone, and the details below come from a tipster and earlier reporting, not from the company. But the pieces fit a direction Samsung has been exploring in public for years.

How a rollable display changes a phone

Unlike a foldable, which opens on a hinge, a rollable phone keeps its display wrapped around an internal mechanism and slides it out when more screen is needed. In this case the display would extend vertically, so the same phone could be a compact 16:9 device for one-handed use and a wide 21:9 screen for video and multitasking.

The idea is not new to Samsung. The company showed a concept at MWC 2026, although the prototype on display did not work at the time and its sliding mechanism was not mechanised. The difference now is that a specific product, with a possible name and a possible launch window, is being talked about.

Why the battery is the hard part

According to the report, the main challenge is fitting enough battery into a phone whose body has to leave room for a rolling display. A phone that stretches needs its internal components to move with it, or to leave space for the mechanism, and that competes directly with the battery for room inside the body.

There is also the durability question. Display supply chain analyst Ross Young has said that rollable displays need to survive far more mechanical cycles than foldables, because the screen flexes every time it expands and contracts. A foldable's hinge and screen are engineered around a single fold line; a rollable's screen has to bend and unroll repeatedly without wearing out.

What it might be called, and when it might arrive

The device could reportedly arrive as the Galaxy Z Slide or Galaxy Z Roll, although neither name is confirmed. A June 2026 report from Android Authority claimed Samsung had already started developing a rollable phone that expands vertically and could launch in the first half of 2028. A separate report from SammyGuru put the debut at Q3 2027. The two timelines conflict, and it is not certain whether they describe the same device, so treat any date as unconfirmed.

Samsung has also patented rollable phone designs. One example is US patent 2026/0333595 A1, which describes a housing that expands as the display slides out. A patent is not a product — Samsung patents far more ideas than it ever ships — but it shows the mechanism has been worked through at the engineering level, not just sketched as a concept.

The renders may be AI-generated

Images shared alongside the leak show a sleek phone with a sliding display. Those renders may be AI-generated rather than real product images, and they should be treated as an illustration of the idea, not as a picture of Samsung's device. The photo at the top of this article shows the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Samsung's current foldable flagship, rather than the rumoured rollable phone, which does not exist in a finished form.

For readers weighing Samsung's current foldable instead, our Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review covers the 200MP camera, battery and display of the phone the rumoured rollable would eventually follow.

Why it matters

Foldables have moved from experiment to mainstream in Samsung's line-up, and the next frontier is a display that does not fold at all but rolls. If Samsung can solve the battery and durability problems, a rollable phone would offer the large screen of a foldable without the hinge, the crease or the bulk. The risk is that it arrives as a showcase device — impressive, expensive and fragile — rather than something most people would buy. The first half of 2028 is a long way off, and by then the question will be whether the technology has matured enough to justify the price. For now, this remains a rumour worth watching rather than a phone worth waiting for.

Sources

• GSMArena — Samsung reportedly working on a phone with an expandable display
• Android Authority — Samsung is reportedly working on a rollable phone that expands vertically
• NokiaMob — Samsung Galaxy Z Slide rollable phone reportedly in development