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You've seen rollable phones, but how about a rollable smartwatch?

We do wonder whether durability will be a challenge with a design like this.
By

Published onDecember 10, 2021

TL;DR
  • A new Samsung patent has detailed a rollable smartwatch.
  • This design shows a watch with two smaller screens capable of expanding and retracting.

We’ve seen both LG and Oppo demonstrate rollable smartphones before, featuring a screen that extends from the side to deliver a tablet-sized display. It now looks like Samsung is thinking about rollable screens too, but for a different device category altogether.

A new Samsung patent filing spotted by Let’s Go Digital shows a rollable smartwatch. The watch has a somewhat circular design at first, complete with an equator-like frame separating the top and bottom screens. This frame also hosts a camera, which is another feature we don’t see very often on watches.

A pinch-to-zoom gesture or tap of the crown results in the top screen extending upwards while the bottom screen extends downwards, delivering an oval- or pill-shaped display instead. This is believed to deliver a screen area roughly 40% larger than the retracted displays.

Would you buy a rollable smartwatch?

183 votes

A rollable display on a smartwatch would therefore allow for users to see more content than normal, such as an expanded calendar, a more detailed music player app, or more granular fitness tracking information.

We do have a few concerns about this potential form factor though, such as durability. Most of today’s smartwatches offer water and dust resistance and tough designs. But you have to assume that it will be a bigger challenge to bring water/dust resistance and a durable design in general to a rollable watch.

We also have to wonder just how practical the expanded screen area would be when many smartwatch users carry around a connected phone anyway that’s capable of displaying far more info. In saying so, this would be handy for entering text directly on your watch.

Nevertheless, this is is just a patent filing and there’s no guarantee this will result in a commercial product. Would you buy a smartwatch with a rollable screen though? Give us your answer via the poll above.