Last updated on September 26, 2020
Phones with internal folding or dual displays dramatically increase the real estate available to work on an app or multiple apps. But in current implementations such as the Surface Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 2, these come at a cost. Both devices need to be opened in order to reveal their maximum device real estate. This minor burden was all but acknowledged by Samsung in the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as the company shared feedback from users that they wanted a larger front display since very often they needed to use the Fold folded.
This kind of realization likely influenced LG’s decision to offer a second display as an accessory for its last few premium offerings such as the 8GX, V60 and, most recently, Velvet. Doing so adds bulk and a larger hinge gap than we see in the Surface Duo. However, remove the second screen and you have a recognizable phone experience. Such is also true for the LG Wing. In recognizing that the company will be able to make only so much progress in encouraging app developers to support the device’s unusual “T” formation. it assumes a typical phone’s screen characteristics most of the time while keeping the time and effort to reveal the second screen to a minimum, one-handed effort.
At the end of the LG Wing debut video, LG hinted at the next device in its Explorer Project line, which may include a rolling screen. That’s a good bet given the work LG has done with rollable displays in its television line. Particularly after having tried a TCL prototype of such a device, I think this flexible display technology may offer the smoothest transition between a typical phone display that can be managed with one hand and one that expands out to the size of a small tablet. As a bonus, there would be no need for a front display.