Rumours are rumours, but the more rumours that emerge with consistent information adds weight to it. There’s little doubt now in anyone’s mind that inside the next 6 – 12 months we will see a device with a flexible panel, adding potential functionality, certainly durability to devices and sending the smartphone market in another new direction for the enjoyment of consumers. Two of the biggest players in the Android mobile space are already manufacturing flexible displays for upcoming mobile phones, LG and Samsung.
According to OLED Info and sighted by SamMobile, Samsung Display have already begun mass production of a 5.7 inch, 0.12mm thin and 5.2 gram panel which is destined for Samsung Electronics to release on a yet to be “officially” confirmed phone device. It was only August this year when we started hearing that both LG and Samsung were ready to start producing the screens, now it appears that Samsung are all but ready to launch something new and hopefully very special.
Perhaps a Galaxy Note 3 Special Edition, one of the other rumoured phones or even something completely unexpected and yet to be announced, regardless of where the panel does appear it appears (on paper at least) that Samsung have again got a head start on their competitors with the curvature radius (the limit of how far they can “bend” the screen before it snaps) of their panel at 5.7 inch sitting at 400mm.
A few doors down the way at LGs manufacturing plant, they’re also working on flexible displays. Noting that the displays are no longer made of glass, but flexible plastic LG have stated that while the display is flexible allowing them to add curve to their devices the electronics are not which has obvious limitations to how much curve can be added to devics. The LG screen is to be a 6 inch display, significantly thicker (nearly 4 x thicker) than Samsung’s offering at .44mm and weighing 7.2 grams with a 700mm curvature radius.
There’s already a few leaked images of curved devices emerging, personally I’m unsure of what functionality advantage that a curved screen can offer having seen these. But without a doubt its an exciting time to be watching the smartphone market with daily leaps and bounds in technology capabilities being made, no doubt many of the manufacturers are pushing hard to be ready for the christmas rush.
What’s top of your Christmas wish list, a smartwatch, glass (or alternative) or a new flexible panel smartphone?
The good thing will be if its made of plastic there is no chance of breaking your phones screen when dropped, meaning the only way to damage the new phones would be to go with old faithful and drop it in the toilet.
I’m all for pushing technology forward, so I can’t wait to see these new upcoming devices.