Samsung may be preparing a phone whose screen stretches upwards to change shape, according to a new leak. Well-known tipster Ice Universe posted on 11 November that Samsung is working on a handset with a vertically expandable display. Rather than unfolding like the Galaxy Z Fold phones, the screen would slide out to make the phone taller, switching its proportions from 16:9 to 21:9. In compact form it would suit one-handed use, while the extended form would give a longer viewing area for video and reading. The aspect-ratio figures appear to be based on renders in the tipster’s post rather than confirmed specifications. Samsung has said nothing about the device.
Samsung’s New Sliding Display
Unlike a foldable, which hinges open to reveal a larger screen, the rumoured handset would use a sliding mechanism that draws more display out from inside the body. Retracted, it would sit at 16:9; extended, it would reach 21:9, the wide ratio that suits films and video. The appeal is straightforward: one phone that changes shape to fit the moment, without the user carrying a larger device all day. That flexibility is the whole pitch: a bigger screen in a phone that still fits in a pocket.
The concept is not new to Samsung. Its display arm showed a prototype called Slidable Flex Vertical at CES 2025, a panel that expanded from 5.1 inches to 6.7 inches by sliding upwards. The technology already exists in Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable laptop, whose 14-inch display extends to 16.7 inches.
Battery Capacity Could Be a Problem
The biggest obstacle, according to Ice Universe, may be the battery. A sliding mechanism needs motors, rails and a roller inside the phone, and that hardware takes up space that would otherwise hold the battery. The result could be a thicker, heavier phone, or one with a smaller battery than a conventional flagship. No details exist yet about battery size, charging speed or dimensions.
Battery space is only one of several problems rollables must solve. Dust and grit on the display can be dragged inside as the panel retracts. The tiny motors must survive hundreds of thousands of extensions, and the movement must be quick without damaging the panel. A rollable has one clear advantage over a foldable, though: because the screen curves gently around a roller instead of folding sharply, it should avoid the visible crease that has marked every folding phone so far. Cost is another open question: the panels, motors and precision mechanics would almost certainly push the price above today’s flagship foldables.
Samsung’s Rollable Phone Could Arrive in 2028
The latest leak follows an earlier report from June 2026, when South Korean outlet Money Today reported that Samsung was developing its first commercial rollable phone, targeting a launch in the first half of 2028. Analysts at Omdia estimated the display would measure around 10 inches when fully extended. The device was linked to the possible name Galaxy Z Slide, and Samsung has also trademarked the name Galaxy Z Roll.
Whether the phone described by Ice Universe is the same device as the one in the June report is unclear, and some reports have suggested a Galaxy Z Slide could appear as early as 2027. Samsung has confirmed neither date. A Samsung patent published on 22 October 2026 described a device with two housings that slide between retracted and extended positions, while a separate August patent described a sideways-expanding display. Patents prove only that engineers have worked on a design, not that a product will follow. For Samsung, a rollable would be the next chapter in a story that began with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. The company has since released eight generations of foldables, through to the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8 in 2026, plus the tri-fold Galaxy Z TriFold launched in South Korea in December 2025.
Other Brands Are Also Exploring Rollable Phones
Samsung is not alone in chasing the concept. Vivo has been linked to a patent, reported in March 2026, describing a phone whose display expands vertically. That design exists only on paper so far, with no prototype, timeline or commercial plan confirmed. Motorola, meanwhile, actually built one: its Rizr rollable concept, shown at Mobile World Congress in 2023, used a motorised mechanism to extend a 5-inch display to 6.5 inches in about three seconds, with the unused portion wrapping around the back as a secondary screen. Motorola never sold it.
The history of rollable phones is, so far, a history of concepts that never reached the shops. LG teased its Rollable phone at CES 2021, but the company left the phone business later that year before it could launch. No rollable phone has ever been sold commercially. Samsung has the expertise and scale to be the first company to change that, but the latest leak is still only a leak. Until the company shows a working phone, the stretchable Samsung remains an intriguing possibility rather than a product, and the 2028 date attached to it is a target reported by others, not a promise from Seoul.
