Folding phones can still be considered ‘fringe’ tech, and while not a lot of people have direct access to one, they’re becoming increasingly available. But the folding display tech in these don’t reflect what we would expect in a ‘bendable display’, but LG may have the answer with its ‘Real Folding Window’.
This one’s interesting because it’s not purely plastic — like most foldable devices — and the company says it’s as hard as glass but it lacks the whole breaking thing.
LG’s rollin’ in PET
According to reports, LG details ‘new material’ which is used to coat a sheet of plastic film (or PET film) which is used in most plastic consumable product packaging. So the same stuff a water bottle’s made of, but really thin, and coated in a newly invented film that kinda acts like glass? Right.
“The idea is that if you apply that coating to the plastic and then apply that cover material to a flexible OLED panel, you’ll have a folding screen that lasts longer and with a less noticeable crease than today’s folding devices. LG says it should be more competitive on price, too,” The Verge details.
Unlike foldable phones currently on the market, LG’s solution will allow for full ‘rollability’ and will apparently decrease the crease, which is a nice touch. It’ll be capable of folding the display outward, not just inward. We should remember that LG made the world’s first commercial rollable TV back in 2020.
According to the company, it’ll definitely have the tech available for consumers sometime — but that time is only around 2023, as it’s still working on it.