Foldable displays on smartphones have been talked about for many years now, but 2018 was the year when we actually saw some action in the space with the likes of Samsung and Chinese company Royole showcasing their own versions of the foldable device. The concept of a foldable smartphone comes from the ever increasing consumer demand of more screen real estate and as video streaming gains popularity, so will large screen smartphones that were once deemed phablets. A phone that can fold out to function like a tablet is the next big step towards increasing the screen surface area on a handset and that’s where foldable phones will make their mark.
In a new video spotted online, display maker BOE’s 7.65-inch foldable display can be seen folding in and out with ease. The video shows that the flexible screen folds from the centre to take the form of a smartphone. It is reported that the BOE flexible display can achieve world’s smallest dynamic bending, which is a crucial factor to note when it comes to the form factor and design of future foldable phones. In terms of specs, the WQHD display reportedly sports a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels with a maximum brightness of 380 nits, a response time of 1ms and a high color gamut of 118% on the NTSC scale. As per reports, the screen can bend more than 100,000 times but in the video, the screen doesn’t really flatten very well once its folded out to achieve the table form.
It has been long rumoured that Apple is in talks with BOE to source flexible OLED displays for future iPhones. According to a recent patent filing, Apple is working on a foldable phone which can be folded in front-to-front as well as back-to-back configuration. Xiaomi and Oppo are also said to be considering BOE or LG Display to source bendable displays for their own versions of foldable phones.