At the SID 2009 in San Antonio, Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) showcased a prototype 6.5 inch AMOLED screen. The new screen is more flexible than its predecessors and has a response time 1000 times faster than a standard LCD.
Samsung has been working to deliver flexible displays for cellphones that will be significantly thinner than current LCD screens and allow for new form factors. A video clips shows what happens when you pound a flexible, 2.8-inch display that is about 20 micrometers thick. And the answer is nothing. There’s not a scratch on the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display. In comparison, an LCD screen shatters when its hit.
According to the company, this prototype is the most flexible one they're done so far and lowers manufacturing costs significantly – helping them near mass production. The technology is still young, but promises faster response times and lower power consumption compared to traditional LCD technology. While Samsung wouldn’t confirm any shipping estimates for production panels, the company expects the technology applications for the flexible AMOLED (newspaper,epaper, e-passport, military maps, newspaper and many more. As of now it is still under development with no information on its commercial release
Industry-leading smartphone manufacturer plans new "twist" on display screen technology next year.
Not content with leading the industry in smartphone sales, Samsung also plans to offer the most flexible phones, too.
During its quarterly earnings call this week, the company announced plans to feature flexible screens on its mobile devices hitting shelves in 2012.
“The flexible display we are looking to introduce sometime in 2012, hopefully the earlier part,” said Samsung’s vice president of investor relations, Robert Yi. “The application probably will start from the handset side.”
The company plans to move on to tablet computers and other devices after phones, too.
Samsung has made rapid strides in bringing bendable screens to consumers after purchasing Liquivista, a company specializing in flexible electronic displays, back in January 2011. While many companies have been experimenting with bright, low-power displays that can also be flexed and twisted, this could be the first mass-market rollout for the technology.
At the 2009 CES, Sony demonstrated a flexible display, but it has yet to announce plans for a mass-market product featuring the screens.
