News - Samsung’s new flexible OLED displays

[HEXUS]

LG is working on them too, possibly for iPhone 5.

Read more.

[Tpyo]

Hmmm, potential for a snap-to style arm band phone/pda thingummy that could flatten out to a mini-tablet when not worn? It may be a way off but it'd be worth the wait if they could get it right.

[Tpyo]

Scratch that (pun unintentional)- until they make 'flexible gorilla glass', I wouldn't want to be wearing it day to day.

[crossy]

Hmm, I'm just imagining the howls of protest from the Samsung phone fans if the iPhone5 comes with a fancy Samsung flexible display after the SIII launched with a boring old "normal" one.

[bobfoc]

All fine and well having flexible displays...

BUT, what about the rest of the phone?

Last time I checked, there weren't flexible batteries, components, etc

[cptwhite_uk]

I'm really struggling to understand the benefits a "flexible phone" brings, technical issues aside.

[warejon9]

It might be so that the phone is curved slightly, (similar to a banana) so that its a bit more stylish?!? that or its curved so sits in your hand a bit more "ergonomically"?

[mark22]

I think a pull out screen turning the phone into more of a tablet for media viewing might be good, assuming it can roll up tight enough.

[Tpyo]

It might be so that the phone is curved slightly, (similar to a banana) so that its a bit more stylish?!? that or its curved so sits in your hand a bit more "ergonomically"?

You mean like a PEBL that is actually pebble shaped? I think that could be very stylish but would also be less practical for a lot of those touchscreen apps.

[crossy]

I'm really struggling to understand the benefits a "flexible phone" brings, technical issues aside.

Don't think I said "flexible phone", see below

It might be so that the phone is curved slightly, (similar to a banana) so that its a bit more stylish?!? that or its curved so sits in your hand a bit more "ergonomically"?

Correct-a-mundo. I remember seeing some extended discussion of the merits of having a flat screen v's one that was either convex or concave. Seem to remember (although my memory is not to be relied upon) that the discussion kind of concluded that convex was best overall due to it's magnifying effect plus rain runs off of it ( ), but concave would probably be easier to use. So flat is the best overall compromise.

That said there's already phones with curved backs, but flat front's - sort of banana-with-the-front-shaved - like the SE Arc/Arc S.

"Banana" phones might make a nice difference to the current two schools of thought: 1. the bar of soap (e.g. HTC One X and possibly SGSIII) and 2. the it's-a-box-get-used-to-it (e.g. iPhone4/4s and especially the Sony Xperia S/P/U).

[rstars_1]

I'm really struggling to understand the benefits a "flexible phone" brings, technical issues aside.

Its benifit will come more from wearable screen watches and other stuff thats already out in Japan and Taiwan rather than just phones.