With each new iteration, the foldable smartphone is edging towards being a mainstream device in both hardware and pricing, but even with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 the first thing you notice is the inevitable crease in the middle of the display, despite Samsung’s considerable efforts. It could be that its local rival holds the key to eliminating the crease, though, if LG’s new ‘Real Folding Window’ lives up to its potential.
Despite having shuttered its mobile phone business earlier this year, LG is still developing technologies that could prove usual to the segment with the ‘Real Folding Window’ said to combine the toughness of glass with the flexibility of plastic whilst also being thinner than current tempered glass materials.
Using a coating made from ‘new materials’ to line each side of a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film, the Real Folding Window boasts improved heat-resistance and mechanical properties similar to plastic. LG says it is both more competitive in price than current solutions and is able to be folded more than 200,000 times without losing durability.
Just as importantly, LG claims that the new technology will significantly reduce the crease where the display is folded, with compatibility for both innie and outie foldable displays. Mass production of the Real Folding Window begins in 2022 with consumer products using the technology expected towards the beginning of 2023.
It’s good news but something that we’ll have to wait a good while to see just how effective LG’s Real Folding Window is. One thing is for sure, you can bet that Samsung is also in the process of developing technologies to achieve the same result.
