Samsung’s slidable PC display makes foldables seem archaic

During Intel’s Innovation 2022 event, Samsung had an exciting announcement — a 17-inch rollable screen, the first ever of its type. Moving from folding phones, foldable laptops have been a trend in 2022 with machines like the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold, but Samsung is going with a different design. Instead of folding, you’ll roll the screen out to expand it.

Samsung showed a quick demo on stage with Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger. The screen is the same size as 17-inch foldable laptops like the Lenovo X1 Fold Gen 2, but you simply push on one side to roll the screen back into the body. Samsung didn’t announce when the display will show up, or in what machines, but it will likely be soon.

Analysts say that 2023 will be a big year for foldable laptops, and Samsung seems interested in jumping on that trend. We have machines like the Zenbook 17 Fold and X1 Fold Gen 2 arriving in short order, meaning that foldable panels are likely with several other laptop manufacturers now.

Foldable display tech is being applied in other areas, as well. For example, Corsair recently showed off the Xeneon Flex. It’s a 45-inch 21:9 ultrawide monitor fit with an OLED panel, but that’s not what’s interesting about it. You can grab the sides and bend the monitor in for a more aggressive curve while you game. This form factor is sure to show up in other displays going into the next year.

Although Intel’s announcements at Innovation 2022 were mostly expected — like the launch of its 13th-gen Raptor Lake processors — Samsung’s rollable screen was a welcome surprise. Intel also had a surprise with the release date of its Arc Alchemist GPUs, stating that gamers “should be frustrated” about high GPU prices right now.

We don’t know when Samsung’s rollable screen will arrive, but hopefully, it will be soon. Intel showed off a demo with the panel using the new Intel Unison tech, suggesting that the display shown on stage is functional and could show up in devices soon.