Samsung Galaxy Fold received a lot of attention on its re-release. One of the pain points of the device is its screen, which is quite easy to scratch since it’s made out of polymer. According to recent reports, the company is now considering a switch to Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) for its next folding smartphone.
What is UTG?
Being only 0.1mm thick, UTG is no bigger than a human hair and is made out of additional tempered processes that allow it to fold. It is hard to produce since it is a pricey material and the yield is generally low. Like normal glass, UTG is quite scratch resistant but more prone to shattering than plastic.
DOWOO INSYS is known to have the best technology when it comes to producing UTG. The company agreed to become Samsung’s exclusive UTG supplier and has been working on developing and producing the material together with Samsung for a while now.
New Form Factor
The reports mention that Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are working on a clamshell (flip phone like) foldable device using UTG as its display and have started producing the necessary components.
The expected price for this device is around $1500, which is not cheap by any means but certainly more affordable than the $2000 Galaxy Fold. Rumor has it that the device will also be more compact than the Galaxy Fold with a screen size of 6.7”.
Samsung is expected to announce its next foldable device early in 2020.
This is good. Samsung may have made a few missteps, but at least they’re trying. I’m looking forward to the era of foldable phones.