LG doesn’t make smartphones anymore, but the Korean electronics company still makes smartphone displays, and the company has just unveiled some new technology that could be used in upcoming phones with foldable displays.

According to LG Chem, the new “Real Folding Window” display technology can be used to make screen covers where the surface is as hard as glass, but the portions that fold are as flexible as plastic.

LG says it’s developed a new material that coats both sides of a thin plastic film to improve heat resistance and harden the display. The result is screen protection that the company says is thinner than tempered glass, while providing a similar level of hardness… without the same tendency to crack if your phone falls to the ground or is hit by your keys when bouncing around in a bag.

The display is also said to be durable enough to be folded and unfolded at least 200,000 times, and it supports both inward and outward folding.

It could be a little while before you can buy a phone with LG’s Real Folding Window technology though – the company expects full-scale production to be underway by 2023.

via GSM Arena

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6 replies on “LG’s new foldable display material is “hard as glass,” but “flexible as plastic””

  1. I imagine we could see this type of material tech filter down to traditional candy bar style phones with fixed screens at some point, in addition to being used in folding phones. Sounds more durable and crack resistant than a standard screen.

    1. Well, yes, from a buyers perspective but why would you buy a new phone every two years if your screen didn’t shatter is the question from the manufacturer’s perspective.

    2. I would expect it’s only “as hard as some varieties of glass” not “totally eclipses Gorilla Glass”. It could still happen though, if it’s cheap enough.

      1. I don’t trust LG and their claim. This is PET, which usually scratches easily.

        The proper test of their claim would be to have this on a folding phone, like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and attempt to torture-scratch it with something like sharp keys. And compare it to a standard phone, like the LG V60. See if the new PET-screen is actually as durable (or remotely close) to the GG-screen in practice.

    3. I don’t see what benefit this would provide for a fixed screen. LG seems to be only comparing this to standard tempered glass, they don’t make any mention of how it compares to Gorilla Glass (which is harder and more durable than tempered glass).

      1. Gorilla Glass, is still glass. And glass breaks.

        The point of GG, is to reduce SCRATCHES. Some variants are better at impact absorption than others, but they’re all in the same class when it comes to fragility. Design makes more of a difference.

        Case in point: rear-glass backing of phones. Earlier models were regular glass and shattered easily. Latest models use GG and they still shatter easily. The biggest difference seems to be in the design, some have rubber gasket between the glass and metal, and some have the sideframe hug the rear backing better.

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