LG’s official reveal of its twisting Wing smartphone had a Marvel-esque post-credit scene: a teaser of the next phone in its new “Explorer Project” range, which appears to have an expandable, slide-out display.
The clip, as spotted by CNET, doesn’t offer a lot of information, just a brief shot of the side of the phone expanding out and sliding back before it lights up and a “hold your breath” catchphrase appears followed by the LG Explorer Project logo. But the message is clear: LG is at least thinking about a sliding display for a future device.
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LG’s Explorer Project — which it introduced with the similar wild-looking Wing — is designed to offer a place for the company to explore ways to “breathe new life into what makes a smartphone.” A sliding phone would certainly seem to fit that bill.
Sliding phones aren’t a new idea, with ZTE already teasing a prototype earlier this year. But the company has yet to actually ship a device, and it’s possible that LG might beat it to the punch. Plus, the nature of a sliding phone, with a flexible display that rolls around the side and back of the device, makes a lot of sense for LG, in particular, given that the company has been working on a rollable TV (that operates under a similar principle) for years.
It’s not clear when LG plans to offer more information on its sliding phone, but it’s clear that between the Wing and this latest teaser, the company is just getting started at trying out new and interesting smartphone designs.
