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Seeing as Samsung’s pushed the boundaries of phone size to their absolute limits, it was only a matter of time before they were forced to try and completely reinvent the whole smartphone scene (and stick it to Apple and their copyright lawyers once and for all). Sammy’s answer? Bendy screens, now reportedly less than a year from launch. I can hear the drop-testers salivating already.
Yeah, bendy screens aren’t anything new at all: Samsung’s been working on them for around a decade now. Samsung’s even teased us with concepts before, but if it actually has working devices, it’s about as eager as a grumpy toddler to share. However, with the increasing speed of innovation, and other firms researching similar tech, it looks like it might finally get its arse in gear and have something hit market. The Wall Street Journal quotes a source ‘familiar with the matter’ as saying flexible screens are expected to be released first half of next year. Before you start choosing your campsite outside the nearest Phones4u, note this is a ship time for displays; Samsung’s just going to be selling the displays to other manufacturers at the moment, so you can expect a little more delay before you can actually buy the damned things.
Still, when bendy screens do actually hit the market, it should be worth it. If they’re even one-tenth as good as the glitzy concept videos, we’ll all be running round squishing phones into our skinniest hipster-jeans in no time. [WSJ via Daily Mail]
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Is it true that Apple Maps looks normal on one of those?
It’ll show you the entrance to El Dorado if you fold it correctly.
No, but it does mean you can at least have the satisfying feeling of screwing it up and throwing it away
“Samsung’s Bendy Screens Almost on the Horizon” – but because they are bent over we won’t see them to the last minute.
I thought this would have been great news for you Darrel? Think about it, finally an Android phone that’s nimble enough for you to maneuver up into your butt!
God I’m funny this afternoon….
Really? Can’t say I’ve noticed.
Also, you spelt my name wrong.
Shut up Dorrell.
Quick question… whats the point of bendy screens, exactly? Like, other than being able to wrap it on your wrist, whats the practical application of having a screen that can bend? O.o
Make them translucent and you can use them to provide an AR display on lenses for glasses, as a replacement for a HUD assembly in a pilot’s helmet, etc…
Advertising is another potential use; wrapped around my coffee mug (read: vat) to tell me if it’s still too hot to drink; etc…
It’s the difference between want and need. Want is a bar of chocolate. Need is breathing. Samsung probably see this as a feature to lure people in and nothing more.
I think the main use will be a wrist phone.
Think about it – if they get the technology right, their phablets will sell so much better because you won’t have to stick a ridiculously large phone into your tiny pocket anymore… you simply fold it up into a compact size!
Now that’s an idea I like….a phone that can unfold into a tablet, cool!
They’re also not brittle, so when you drop them or sit on them they won’t break quite so easily
“We managed to get the screen on the new SGSV to break, but we had to drop it from 20,000ft. Watch our side-by-side drop test with the iPhone 6 now!
Spoiler alert: the iPhone disintegrated upon impact!”
“However, with the increasing speed of innovation”
I’m assuming you meant to type:
“However, with the increasing volume of Apple patent-trolling”
They will be great to do origami with.
I’m struggling still to understand what the point of this tech applied to a phone screen is. How will this benefit me?
You just got a brand new £500 smartphone. You drop it. The screen doesn’t smash or even crack..why? It’s bendy.
Nice Article!
I can just imagine Apple getting hold of this tech somehow and launching bendable tablets. Super thin, super light, overpriced.
Don’t forget “revolutionary” and “game changing”, despite someone else making the tech.
and Magical.
Bendable and interactive Newspapers. OMG the awesomeness!
I think it will be nice to wrap around things like Mugs, Bike Bars etc.. Auto knows what its on and then changes to suit that device.
but i think the will winner be that you can sit down when you forget that its in your back pocket and it wont smash!
This might finally get me to buy a Samsung phone! I’ve never doubted that Samsung would eventually take over as king of tech, they just need to stop making cheap feeling mobiles and put the same amount of effort that they put in to their top end TVs. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in a years time
There were rumours that the Note 2 was due to use this technology but the yields were too low. Although flexible displays will allow for much tougher devices that can survive being sat on or dropped, there is the matter of the battery and other components that you can bet these will initially form a hump (like some earlier Motorola Android phones where the camera sticks out of the rear).
All said, iPad mini, Polaroid cameras and even the 1980s Sinclair pocket TV use/used ultra thin batteries, so a little more refinement and we’ll be there – the first paper thin flexible battery!
I’m finding it hard to get excited about it though until I see it in a real product and not the above image…
I think its more of a case of this being the 1st step towards this type of screen/tech becoming something of much more use then having a ‘candy bar’ style smartphone that can bend. Maybe a tablet that you can roll up like a newspaper to splat a fly ?