If there's one area of technology that should be cited for its constant evolution, it should be no other than the display technology. In the case of smartphones, the display is no longer limited to just being a square-shaped box.
Displays have become more flexible than ever as shown in their capacity to withstand twisting and bending.
Samsung Display is one of the leading companies in the global display market. Another is LG Display. Together, they make up 50 percent of the global market share.
Samsung has been tinkering with foldable displays for quite some time. At CES 2014, the company reportedly showed off its first foldable display behind closed doors.
"The industry believes that the commercialization of foldable smartphones will be possible in 2016," cites an official from Samsung Display.
To ensure retaining its current market share, the company has been working on two types of new display technologies that promise to bring a new experiences to users. These are transparent displays and flexible displays.
Transparent displays are now being partially used in billboards, fighter planes and commercial aircraft. With this type of display, one can see a picture created by the display while one is looking through glass. Moreover, these can be incorporated on the front glass of a vehicle to act as a heads-up display to provide driving information. Makers of luxury sedans such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai Motor have already been using the technology in their vehicles.
The same technology can be found in refrigerators, where consumers can see inside a transparent fridge and get a glimpse at advertisements at the same time. While it has received a lukewarm reception from housewives, its target consumers, it is expected to attract more business-minded consumers in the future, such as those who run convenience stores.
The second promising display technology is flexible displays. Though it is paper-like, this type of display can produce the same picture quality even when bent. Its goals include displaying objects as precisely as possible and making things as light as possible to maximize portability.
Flexible displays have, so far, been identified as having four stages of evolution. Those stages are curved, bendable, foldable and rollable. Samsung's curved edge displays can be placed between the first and the second stages.
If Samsung believes that foldable smartphones are a possibility for 2016, the company may be able to perfect the manufacturing process for such a display type at that point in time. While flexible displays are currently being used in smartphones and wearable devices, advancements will ensure that this technology will encompass the entire IT industry. This means that laptops, tablets and monitors would also incorporate these revolutionary displays.
Photo: Karlis Dambrans I Flickr
