Samsung has developed a smartphone with the ability to fold, with the company anticipating a growing demand in the market.
The showcasing of the Youm smartphones adds Samsung to a growing list of manufacturers working on the same innovations, which includes Corning, screen manufacturer for companies such as Apple and Samsung, whose Gorilla Glass device could appear in the market this year.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have gained popularity given their ability to resist scratches and glass cracks, making it unlikely to shatter even in the event of a hit on the screen.
According to David Velasquez, the director of Corning, OLEDs are 40 percent less likely to get scratches and can withstand almost three times the force when hit.
Samsung’s prototype OLED, the size of a smartphone, has the ability to bend like a sheet of paper.
The smartphone is fitted with the screen that when folded could cover the side edges as well as display messages along the edges when placed on a table face down.
OLEDs have their own light and do not require a backlight as compared to LCDs which in turn makes them rigid. Other features of the prototype included the ability to use a USB stick with the display easy to fold like a scroll.
The company has not however declared as to when the product could be available in the market.
