5 things you should know about bendable displays
Phone screens have been made of flat glass or plastic for years, while recently the pioneers in this field have moved towards making curved screens. Since these changes, more and more manufacturers are moving towards making curved screens every year; Screens of mobile phones, monitors and televisions. Now, perhaps one of the most fundamental questions is that after this technology and its widespread use, we will move towards using what technology and making what kind of screens?
The answer to this question lies in flexible screens. A new technology and design that has become popular these days, and it is expected that we will see its presence in the future. Flexible screens are capable of marking one of the biggest technological developments over the next few decades. These designs make it possible to build phones that we can’t even imagine and that’s why they are so important.
1- The fact that the display is flexible does not mean that it is curved
Although curved screens are really attractive, the fact that a screen is bendable does not mean that it is curved.
Liquid crystal displays are a collection of materials that are manufactured in a flat form. A number of companies, including Samsung, have succeeded in making curved examples of these displays.
Recently, OLED screens have also gained popularity because the structures used in them are simpler, the image quality is better, and they have better flexibility. Due to the lack of backlight producing components in OLED displays, these displays can be thinner and made with different forms; For example, in a curved shape, as Samsung has used them in the Galaxy S7 Edge.
Greater flexibility, narrowness and higher image quality have made OLED a better option for making curved screens, and now it seems quite clear that OLED will gradually replace LCD. Currently, the use of OLED technology in televisions or computer screens is somewhat expensive, but it can be predicted that these costs will decrease over time.
Although LCD is thicker and more multilayered than OLED, both can be used in a bendable form; For example, one of Apple’s suppliers, Japan Display, recently announced that it is making a 5.5-inch flexible LCD display with FHD resolution. The company plans to make such a display using a plastic layer, although generally this type of display is made of non-flexible glass.
But a bendable screen is completely different, and means pushing the boundaries of flexibility to a very surprising extent. Making these screens means finding a way to make materials that don’t break under pressure, and while an image is playing, you can flex and bend the screen many times in different shapes and directions without interrupting the process of playing images.
2- Curved screens are more durable
One of the biggest positives of bendable screens is that they make gadgets more durable. A phone with a curved screen can withstand many impacts. In fact, it should be said that with the introduction of these types of screens into the market, there will be no more breaking and damage of screens.
Although this process and reaching such resistant displays is a time-consuming matter. Our hypothesis today is that bendable displays will use plastic instead of glass. But even plastic can be damaged under certain conditions and break if subjected to excessive pressure.
Manufacturers like Corning are working on a bendable glass called Willow. These glasses are going to be used in making many products from smartphones to televisions. Willow is as thick as paper and can bend like paper. However, Willow can also break under extreme pressure. In this way, it is clear that the use of flexible screens greatly increases the durability of products, but turning the screens into completely unbreakable screens requires spending more time and effort.
3- Samsung, LG and Apple
Three major smartphone manufacturers are rumored to be working on bendable displays. It is said that Samsung will unveil its Galaxy X foldable phone in the third quarter of 2017. The most important feature of the Galaxy X phone is that it opens outwards and one can turn the phone into a 7-inch tablet.
Apparently, LG is also working on its own bendable phone that opens outwards like the aforementioned Samsung phone. According to one of the patent documents, LG has a plan to make a foldable phone that can be used even when folded.
Apple also plans to use bendable screens in the iPhone. However, it is unlikely that we will see a bendable iPhone anytime soon. Although some rumors stated that this giant of the technology world may use Japan Display’s bendable screens in the 2018 iPhone, it is very unlikely that Apple will decide to use a relatively raw technology so quickly.
4- Why is the screen curved?
One of the basic questions about bendable screens is why a phone should use such a screen in the first place?
As mentioned, one of the important features of these screens is their durability. They can be much easier to maintain and easier to repair.
Another issue is that making curved screens is not just for phones. It is possible to make a smart watch with a curved display, and naturally, in such cases, the ability to bend and wrap around the hand is an important issue. On the other hand, we can expect more creative uses of phones. For example, remember the prototype made by Lenovo. A smartphone that we can wrap around our wrist like a watch or a wristband.
We can even think about using bendable displays in cars. Cars are becoming more digital every day and screens can be used in different parts of them. The Mercedes E-Class, for example, displays its rear gauges on a 12.3-inch HD display that runs the length of the dashboard. Both the Tesla Model S and the Tesla Model X have a large 17-inch center screen, but they can also use a curved display that flexibly runs along the dashboard.
5- The biggest challenges
The concept of the bendable display is not so new and as you know many manufacturers are showing examples of these displays in various exhibitions. But aren’t you interested in knowing why these displays were never released? That’s because it’s really hard to make bendable displays, even harder to make a device that can effectively use them.
To make such a product, manufacturers must know how to use different components within this flexible space. For example, making self-bending batteries is difficult because in the current technology, the battery must maintain its shape. If we bend today’s batteries, they will short circuit, and if we put too much pressure on them, they will explode. Both LG and Samsung have been working on making bendable batteries for years, but the technology has yet to be presented in a concrete product form.
Currently, the only way to use a bendable display is to use them in devices that have some kind of hinge. For example, we have seen this technology in Lenovo Yoga Book. A device that has a touch screen and a touch keyboard that can be converted into a larger tablet for drawing. With the hinge, manufacturers can reuse today’s batteries without the hassle, while also adding a bendable part to their device lineup.
In this way, it should be said that we are still waiting for the release of a truly bending product to the market. A product that, with its launch, we will witness a rare durability and many opportunities in the fields of designing and creating innovation in smartphones. For years, phones and tablets have been going through a process of monotony and little change, and the supply of curved screens can completely change this repetitive process with a kind of revolution and inject new blood into the veins of this market.
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