The Korean tech giant is gearing up for mass production of foldable OLED panels that might be used in the rumored Samsung X smartphone which is going to be launched at the start of next year.
At first, the Samsung phone was going to unfold vertically growing in size from 4.5 inch up to 7.3 inch but that would seem unpractical since you will have to open it just to answer a call. Now, the OEM is looking at a design that folds two thirds of the way up.
Samsung Display will apparently start its first test production run of folding OLED display panels over the summer, and once all the issues will be solved, a second larger run will take place in September. Samsung wants capacity to reach 100,000 screens by the end of the year. In 2019, when full scale production is expected, Samsung will produce a million folding screens.
Samsung Display is the leading supplier of OLED screens in the world, and its screens dont only find their way onto Samsung devices. Samsung isnt the only smartphone manufacturer talking about folding, or bendable, devices for 2019 and later either. Huawei has been rumored to show a folding phone in late 2018, Motorola has also filed patents related to a folding phone. Oppo and Apple are also reported to be interested in the tech.
Samsung leading ahead with folding screen production will likely push other manufacturers to examine the concept, and we expect to hear more from others over the coming year. It seems that foldable smartphones will be the next breakthrough in the industry.