Flexible Displays - Who's On First

In order to make a flexible phone one needs to take a flexible display and add a flexible mainboard, flexible battery and so on. I guess not all of those things have been made flexible yet.

 

I thought LG came out with theirs (LG G FLEX), but I must have misread the specs. Not really flexible, but the screen is curved.

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So the latest rumor, from a good source, is the Apple iWatch coming out this year, will have a flexible display, and made from sapphire, on some models.

http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/a...s-will-you-staying-post577807.html#post577807

 

Quint, it is flexible to a degree. You can put the curved Flex facedown on a hard surface, press on the back and it'll go flat. But we're talking 2-3mm movement.

@KevinJames -- I probably wouldn't buy a phone that looked like that

 

I wouldn't either, but it is an interesting concept to put the circuity at the bottom instead of behind the screen as usual. If you let a few smart minds play around with this, I could imagine in a few years they will probably come up with a flexible phone that we might actually want to buy

 

Looking at the LG "flex" and the Microsoft concept phone, I would say the technology is "getting there" but not really ready for prime-time yet, or to start any new "phone revolution" of any sort. But in a few years everything might fall into place...

 

I can put in my two cents...for free!

One company I worked for had a very, very strong policy of never showing at a trade show a product, that wasn't ready to be sold the next day.

I can see some problems to work out before this is ready.

Flexing a screen is a lot different than folding a screen...and folding is the function that makes sense for a phone...as in the video.
Is the product 'retina' quality yet? I wouldn't put out a low res screen just to be flexible.
What is the screen quality? Power requirements. Just now they are producing great quality screens for smartphones in larger sizes...there may be limitations on a flex screen that are just not engineered enough to make the compete with a block screen.
The video of the Samsung flex screen, with the 'box' at the end is not practical for a phone.
And a truly bendable screen in the video wouldn't play well with 'touch' screen as we have today...how would you use that, even with two hands?

There is lots of stuff to work out. However a curved screen is practical and probably useful.

Just my opinions.

 

Here is some more juicy rumors.

"Apparently, Apple is already envisaging the iPhone of 2018 — which if current nomenclature trends are followed, will be the iPhone 8 — with a foldable screen, a technology that’s currently being developed by the two Korean rivals. We’ve been hearing about foldable displays for a while, but they’ve always stayed in the realm of fantasy, often used only as eye-catching tech demos at trade shows."

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-samsung-lg-foldable-iphone-8-news/#ixzz3t4SZGgNS



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The key is to do it right.

Having fooled around with wallet cases, flipping them open can be annoying. And the foldable screen has to be the same quality and durability as a screen is today.

Since glass is out, does that mean scratchable plastic once again? That would be a step backwards IMO.


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LOL

Just thinking like an engineer, KJ, on how a foldable screen would be in made. People worry a lot about screen damage today, and glass was a big breakthrough in mobile phone.

I don't see how glass could be used in a seamless way.


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@KJ

What the OP video shows is a folding screen, not flexible. So that would be plastic, since glass cannot be folding. Thin glass and thin fiber optics can be flexed into a circle but not folded 90 degrees.

The second video you posted is plastic.

So for a wallet device with a continuous folded screen as shown in the 1st post here, if it works, would be plastic and not as scratch resistance as glass.

I see that as problem, but not a deterrent to a folding device, if you can accept that limitation.




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It's wrapped in plastic so that is doesn't break while being handled in the convention.

Normally it is used by itself underneath a cover glass, as a seal for a display. Any glass that is 0.1mm thick will bend...and break if bent too far.

It makes great screen protectors for conventional smartphones. I have a 0.150 mm glass screen protector on my wife's iPhone.

Get your new Samsung phone. You will be waiting a long time for a folding screen made from glass. Glass being an amorphous solid is never going to fold. Well, maybe once.


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Alternative?
http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/06/holoflex-flexible-3d-display/

 

In order to make a flexible phone one needs to take a flexible display and add a flexible mainboard, flexible battery and so on. I guess not all of those things have been made flexible yet.