Grand master of small and medium-sized OLED panels, Samsung is about to push its advantage even further. He is preparing to introduce, during CES 2023, a slab that is both folding and sliding. This could open the door to never-before-seen form factors.
Samsung is not the king of OLED for nothing! According to it, the site ETNews, it should soon mark the history of this display technology once again. Samsung, which is the world’s number one manufacturer of small and medium-sized OLED screens, should take advantage of CES to present its first folding… and sliding OLED screen!
A great first, which should be visible on the brand’s private stand in Las Vegas, according to the Korean media. This cross between two display options could open the door to new form factors.
From 8 to 12.4 inches…
Samsung would also plan to unveil a new “hybrid” screen product. This would be what the Korean giant would call, it seems, these slabs which can be folded and can also slide. When the device is closed and unstretched, it would present an 8-inch screen and take on the appearance of a very large smartphone or a small tablet. It is indeed almost the size of the slab of the iPad mini, from Apple, for example.
When unfolded, it would display a 10-inch screen, which is a medium-sized tablet. This is the case of the “classic” iPad. But, thanks to the new hybrid panel, there would remain a “transformation” to this new device. When you stretch the screen, its diagonal then reaches 12.4 inches. We then flirt with the screen diagonal of the iPad Pro or a small ultraportable PC. That a screen can, as it evolves, cover the uses of its three types of devices does indeed open up prospects.
Grow the market
According to ETNews, Samsung would rely heavily on these hybrid panels, in particular to increase its market share in OLED. By multiplying the possible form factors that would be based on hybrid OLED technology, the Korean company also hopes to grow this market.
After establishing its dominance in the field of classic smartphones, Samsung has become a specialist in experimentation, with its “infinite edge” panels, to start with, then with its folding smartphones. A market that it still largely dominates for the moment, even if this type of product is still quite marginal in terms of volumes sold.
By paving the way for hybrid panels, Samsung could push tech players to offer 3-in-1 products. The question in these cases is always to know if the operating system and the applications will follow, if the software ergonomics will be able to evolve correctly according to the chosen screen surface. Somewhat counter-intuitively, closed ecosystems generally have an easier time managing this kind of constraint, as evidenced to some extent by Android’s difficulty in offering an experience of the same quality on smartphones and on Tablet.
According to the Korean site, Samsung could also target another market with its hybrid technology, that of electric cars, or even autonomous vehicles. Depending on the context of use, the screen could be enlarged or reduced. Small when driving, stretched when parked or in autonomous mode, for example.
The question now is whether Samsung will present a prototype during its CES opening keynote or whether it will keep this demonstration for partners on its private stand. Answer Wednesday, January 4, from Las Vegas.
ETNews
