Could “bendable” glass lead to a folding glass phone?

The goal of making smart phones lighter and more flexible could be one step closer to reality, thanks to bendable glass. Samsung first introduced bendable glass at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2013. So far, that hasn’t led to foldable glass phones, but some industry experts think that the company could put a foldable glass phone on the market in 2017.

Samsung isn’t the only technology company that’s interested in foldable glass. Apple has long been rumored to be considering the development of a bendable glass phone. The company is already working on an all-glass version of the iPhone.

The goal is to create a foldable device that’s the size of a phone when folded, and the size of a tablet when it is opened up. Such a phone would use OLED technology, and would more than likely feature a curved screen.

Samsung has already introduced a curved glass phone to the market, in the form of the company’s Galaxy S7 Edge, but the company says that its consumer research shows that the end user values the size of a standard phone, but welcomes the extra real estate the phone offers.

The allure of glass has also charmed Apple, which is working on the all-glass iPhone. The company is expected to release the iPhone 8 in late 2017 or early 2018, but there’s no indication that the iPhone 8 will be foldable, or that it will include bendable glass of any kind.

Bendable glass isn’t exactly new. Fiber optic cabling is bendable to some extent, though it’s certainly not foldable. Bendable glass allows designers to create a screen, something that’s never been done before, and it may allow them to create a complete foldable design that provides the form of a standard smart phone that’s expandable to a functional tablet when desired.

Certainly, there are smartphones of varying sizes, but the size of a phone (or a tablet) determines its functionality. If a tablet surface is too small to type, for example, its functionality – and therefore its appeal – is limited. Nothing is announced as far as products or even projects, but it’s worthwhile to note that Samsung has already shown bendable glass. It makes sense that consumers will be seeing that on the market sooner rather than later.

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Photo Credit: MomentiMedia, via Flickr.com