Over the previous two years, full-screen design, as well as different styles of screen notch, have been the trend in the smartphone industry. This year seems to be for 5G and foldable smartphones. Already, we are starting to see a few smartphones getting launched with 5G technology. While we expect a few other flagships to join the train, it is our opinion that 5G may not pick up fully this year due to the lack of infrastructure. However, since the Galaxy Fold and Mate X are already released, we expect to see a lot more foldable phones in the course of the year.
Corning is definitely gearing up for the emerging trend with reports that the company is working towards manufacturing a screen protector for foldable phones. Foldable phones like the Mate X use plastic polymers which enables the display to bend. However, plastic tends to crease after a certain number of folds and is also more prone to scratches. Now, the Galaxy Fold and Mate X are priced around $2000. Nobody would want to take such risk, especially when it is certain that the replacement screen won’t be anywhere near cheap. On the other hand, a foldable glass display would be able to retain its structure regardless of the number of folds and it would hold up against scratches from keys and coins repeatedly. Thus, the company is working on glass-based protective screen.
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Corning has been able to make a glass that’s just 0.1mm thick and can fold to a radius of 5mm. However, since this glass is too thin, it can’t be used on smartphones as it will easily shatter if dropped. Increasing the thickness of the glass without veering out of the 3-to5-millimetre bend radius range is a technical challenge and the company is currently working on improving it. The company is reportedly experimenting with the fusion of the rollable Willow Glass and Gorilla Glass presently. The technology involves immersing the glass into a molten salt solution. Unfortunately, this corrodes the transistors found in the display so Willow Glass is currently not suitable for smartphones. Corning believes a solution will pop-up in a few years time that would be drop-resistant and have a tighter bend radius.
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