By Akshay Asija
In the spring of 2014, a group of researchers backed by Samsung claimed to have developed a technique for commercially synthesizing graphenean extremely strong and flexible allotrope of carbon. The findings, which served as a proof of how a single crystal of graphene could retain its electromechanical properties across large areas, were published in the academic journal Science.
Is a bendable smartphone on Samsung’s launch list?
Graphene can potentially be used in bendable and thin displays for smartphones and wearables by providing higher flexibility in a small package. It is the thinnest material known to this world and is an exceptional conductor of electricity and heat. However, until 2014, it could only be produced at a large scale by combining separate graphene crystalsa process that would reduce their electrical conductivity.
In the past, Samsung has released many products with curved displays, such as TVs, smartphones and smartwatches. It even showcased a flexible display smartphone prototype called Youm in 2013. Now, the South Korean giant is moving a step further by aiming to launch a foldable smartphone in 2018 under its Galaxy Note sub-brand. Koh Dong-jin, Samsung’s mobile business division president, has said in a recent press conference that as soon as the company is able to overcome certain inherent problems involved in realistically mass producing foldable phones, it would launch such a device.
An era of innovation and transformation
At present, it is hard to imagine what using a bendable phone would be like, but experts are of the opinion that such devices could revolutionise the way people use their gadgets. As an example, users could simply wrap their phones around their wrists and use them like smartwatches, with apps and other software dynamically adapting to display in the region visible to the user. It would mean that users could use their phone while keeping both hands free.
Sure, initially, not all apps would support such functionality, but with greater user adoption, this interaction model could well become the norm. To take a selfie, users would only have to bend the portion of the phone housing the rear camera backwards, thus negating the need for a separate front camera. Things like these could result in completely different approaches to design and usher an era of more minimalist devices that could change their dimension as per the users requirement.
Chinese Moxi Group: A threat to Samsung?
However, Samsung is not alone in the race to make a bendable smartphone. Moxi Group, a non-descript company in Chongqing, China, revealed in May 2016 that it was working on devices featuring flexible touchscreens. These devices would also work when looped and worn like a watch or a bracelet, besides working like normal smartphones, when stretched flat.
The company said that it has produced prototypes of such phones and planned to sell 100,000 units of the unique phone by the end of 2016. As expected, those announcements proved to be little more than a publicity-grabbing move, and no such product was launched in China last year. What was impressive, however, was that even Moxi planned to use graphene in its phones, and gave us an idea of what bendable phones would look like, even though, according to Moxi, initial versions would come with black and white displays.
Built on research
Unlike Moxi, Samsung has been hard at work to realise its vision of smartphones on which the display is more than just a component. The companys most recent offerings, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note8, with their stunning ‘infinity displays’, have set the bar high for ‘bezel-less’ phones, in which the display occupies the front of the phone almost completely. The only company that comes close to Samsung in this regard is LG Electronics, another South Korean conglomerate. However, Samsungs innovation and research stay unparalleled.
Featured Image Source: Visual Hunt