Curved smartphones are new, but they aren’t brand new, never-seen-before, outrageously-interesting concept phones. However, Samsung and Corning have been whispering with their heads close, and it seems they have been discussing flexible smartphones – not those that are formed curved, but those that can actually bend a bit at the user’s gentled influence.
That on-demand flexibility sets the concept apart from the hard-formed but curved Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S Advance. The curved screen in these models are a gentle rise of the top and bottom areas; they are not ‘drastic’ curves that can bend a smartphone into, say, an S-curve or a hook configuration.
Samsung brings to the conference table their acknowledged expertise in making OLED displays, which are more energy efficient and present better colour reproduction than LCDs, and Corning brings its excellent reputation as a glass maker.
Corning already has a flexible glass substrate product called Lotus Glass Screen that is overlaid traditional display area.
Whilst the rumours do not imply that a mobile handset will stand up to severe and multiple twists and turns, the rumour of a flexible display area in 2012 arose late last year.
We would hope that users don’t spend large amounts of cash on future flexible models and extend stresses beyond tolerance: Odds are, warranties wouldn’t cover idiot factors in deliberately testing the outer boundaries of either material integrity or common sense.
We’d still love to see this feature, although it might have only limited practical application – one of trimming down glare, for instance.
If you had a mobile phone with a flexible screen, how would you use that screen to your benefit, beyond the casual entertainment factor of being amused with it? How far would you like the display area to curve without distortion or breakage, and why?
This is a very intriguing concept for us, and we’d love to read your comments. If we have enough of a variety of responses, we’ll include some in future concept piece – and we’ll give you user-name credit for the use ideas!