The Glade 4.0

Samsung has recently reported that, starting next year, it will start releasing smartphones with flexible displays. These smartphones will appear in the first half of 2012. The technology has been in existence for quite some time now.

But Samsung is just now gearing up to mass produce flexible displays. They’ll be ready in the spring of 2012, shortly after which the very first flexible display smartphones will start to appear.

Samsung is working on building a new factory which will specialize in the mass production of bendable amoled panels. This is what the South Korean news site ET News has reported.

Flexible display prototypes have been demonstrated by Samsung for years at gadget related events. So far, we haven’t seen any flexible displays in commercial smartphones. However, we have seen something that’s a step in the right direction: curved glass!

Take Apple, for example. They have purchased a large set of expensive machines for producing such glass. Many now think that the iPhone 5 will get curved glass. The Samsung Nexus S, which is already for sale, also has curved glass. Albeit only slightly curved.

It is not yet known in which type of smartphones Samsung is planning to use the flexible displays. Next to using flexible displays in smartphones, it is also likely that Samsung will start using Liquavista’s display technology in tablets starting in 2012.

Electrowetting – The Future Of Tablet Display Technology?

Liquavista is a display technology company that has recently been acquired by Samsung. They have come up with a revolutionary way of displaying colors vividly through a process called electrowetting. Remember that term, because you’re going to hear more about it in the near future.

Electrowetting aims to become the successor to the currently dominant display technology: LCD. Electrowetting is a 3 mode display technology that can display vivid colors in all sorts of lighting conditions, including outdoors when it’s sunny. Liquavista also claims that electrowetting uses very little power (good news for battery lifespans). And then there’s the indefinite viewing angle.

We’re looking forward to seeing Liquavista’s screens being used in Samsung smartphones. There are exciting times ahead of us!