Your future TV could bend and roll on command

The future is here and it’s very bendy. 

By now, you might know that what seems like every company exhibiting at CES is showing off a device with some kind of foldable, flexible screen. LG Display, however, is taking things to the next level with a series of concepts that can roll and bend with the push of a button. 

The most mind-blowing of these is a 65-inch bendable OLED TV, which can bend and un-bend as easily as turning it off and back on. Out of all the folding and bending screens we’ve seen at CES so far, it really is one of the most impressive. I mean, look at it. 

And, unlike some curvy screen concepts, there could be useful reasons for such a feature. Curved sets have been around for awhile now, but the design isn’t always the most practical. Curved TVs look really cool as long as you’re centered directly in front of the screen, but look at them from even a slight angle and your perspective is warped. 

But a TV that could curve and un-curve itself could offer the best of both worlds. If you’re gaming or otherwise want to feel extra immersed in what you’re watching, you could watch with the screen curved, and then change it back to a flat set when you’re done. 

In another concept, the bendable TV was part of an in-flight entertainment system. While sitting in your (presumably first class) seat, you could adjust the TV angle to get the best view during your flight. 

If curved TVs aren’t your thing, LG Display also showed off a new take on rollable TVs, with a 65-inch roll down TV that drops down from the ceiling similar to a projection screen. While the consumer electronics arm of LG showed off a rollable set (now set to go on sale sometime in 2020) last year, the new rollable concept doesn’t require the same type of base. 

Similarly, the company also showed off a smaller roll-down display concept for cars, with a 12.8-inch OLED display that rolls down from the driver’s side headrest for backseat passengers’ entertainment.

Image: karissa bell / mashable

The displays were among several flexible display concepts LG was showing off during CES. The company also had on display a small laptop with a flexible display and a smart speaker with a wraparound screen. 

As with many of the other companies showing off flexible screen tech at CES, these are all just concepts and may never become actual products. But LG Display does have a bit of an edge over some of the competitions. At a time when seemingly every company is experimenting with some kind of bendable screen, the company has already contributed display tech to an actual product: Lenovo’s upcoming foldable PC.

Our bendable device future is closer than you think.