By Samsung’s flexible OLED technology has been in the works for sometime now, but it could finally debut as part of the upcoming Galaxy S4’s hardware complement. But before you start conjuring up visions of a bendable, foldable handset, it is sounding like the technology will be deployed more for its resistance to breakage than for its pliability.
The screen of the Galaxy S4 has already made headlines after rumors that it will be Samsung’s first 1080p display. With a size of 4.99 inches, a pixel density of 441 ppi is generated. Adding in Samsung’s “unbreakable” tech, which takes advantage of the fact that OLED displays can be manufactured from plastics instead of glass, the screen will likely be one of the GS4’s key marketing points (as it has been with previous Galaxy models).
Analyst Nicolas Gaudois says signs point to an earlier release for the Galaxy S4 than previous Galaxy models, which typically have hit shelves around May or June. An accelerated schedule could see the phone debut as early as April (though we have already heard manufacturing delays involving the very screen tech in question could be hampering Samsung’s plans). As for those foldable displays, Stanford Bernstein analyst Mark Newman thinks those will emerge closer to 2014 as unbreakable screen technology develops.
Insert 3500mAh battery here*
I chuckled at your comment, then lol’d because of your picture =)
3500 is not only large, but extreme wishful thinking. I’m happy with anything over 2100.
RAZR Maxx HD has 3300 mAh battery… 3500 mAh is completely doable.
Not denying that. Just saying that given the track record, how could one actually expect a batteyr size of that?
Ahh, point taken.
I think it’s safe to assume that every Android power-user would love a battery equivalent of RAZR MAXX, but I also think that we get ourselves excited/over-amped for what will likely never come in the near future.
Remember that scene in “Airplane” where passengers were running from gate to gate to gate as the plane slid down the runway? Yeah, that’s us ‘fan-droids’ — over-amped and running to the next big dream/thing.
“DNA is sooooo yesterday… S4 is where it’s at!” You know those comments are coming :p
So sad, but so true. It’s only a matter of time. The real question is who really cares about a flexible display? I know I definitely don’t.
I guess I would care if it made the difference between a working screen and one that doesn’t work anymore due to cracks after being dropped.
Haha, agreed.
I simply just want to enjoy my current android experience all day. It can be a pain having to camp my various charging stations throughout the day.
I am very happy with my Galaxy Nexus, when it’s alive.
The battery in my Galaxy Note 2 is AWESOME :)
Same here, but for SGS3.
Lack toast in tolerant!! =.D
Hopefully my wishful thinking will speed up our current smartphone standards.
Let’s compromise at 3000 mAH? :D
and its still relatively thin , tested one at best buy feels really good in the hand
Samsung is in their own zone. Not thinking about what others are doing. Just simply doing, themselves.
That should be their new slogan…seriously.
What? “Samsung, we’re simply doing ourselves.”
I can hear my roommate doing exactly that at least twice per day……..
Microsoft’s response: But even when we’re not right up front or we’re not first in the market we just keep working and working and working and coming and coming and coming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdRmMeioPvs
This is some real good new, especially since i’ll have my upgrade by summer of next year lol. With the s2 for now, will be with the s4 later
im with the s2 now aswell! cant waittttt!! :D
Shut up and take my money! That meme aside, this is seriously cool stuff.
4.99inch screen, pixel density of 441ppi and 1080p…. Oh my the Samsung GS4 is actually the Oppo Find 5! :O
Oppo Samsung style!
If the display is covered in plastic welcome to scratch city.
I would expect a glass digitizer to be placed over it which will mean the screen can sort of still be broken. However, if the digitizer and the plastic OLED are easily separated it could make it much easier and cheaper to replace if you did drop it and break the digitizer’s glass.
It this is so easy to bend how easy will it scratch it looks to be a very soft plastic
good point… obviously gorilla glass is not gonna work here……. almost requiring a Zagg protector???
You could still use Gorilla glass if the point is to keep the screen working on a device with ‘rigid’ screen usage. Best of both worlds, hard to scratch and still works even if the screen surface is badly cracked.
I had the same concern, I’m not sure I’d like a plastic screen unless it was seriously high tech plastic meant to look and feel like glass.
I’m eligible for an upgrade in February, and i really like what I’ve heard about this phone. One thing that really interests me is more use of aluminum in the body instead of plastic, i like my galaxy nexus, but I wish the build didn’t feel so cheap
Agreed. Bigger battery and aluminum body will win me over.
How about a car battery would you be happy then?
im pretty sure we dont need 50,000 mah in our phones. 5-7% of that is ok :)
I will be happy when the only time I charge my phone is when I sleep at night.
I’m currently jumping from charger to charger, even under normal daily use. (Excluding games / Netflix) That’s charging while I am at home, work, and in the car. Don’t get me started on camping…
My GN2 lasts 2 days with moderate use.
They should combine this with some kind of waterproofing (like Liquipel or HzO). Such a phone might not be indestructible, but it would survive a good majority of common accidents that tend to befall our beloved devices.
They have a couple waterproof/water resistant Android phone models in Japan.
I love HTC and they make great products, they really do, I have ZERO complaints about my EVO LTE, but damn, i’m gonna have to go samsung next round by the looks of it
HTC fanboy checking in… I can confirm this. Now, if only their batteries didn’t suck and blow at the same time.
Regarding this display ..The question is …. how much will it bend before it breaks…I mean you have the board and other chips inside the device…They also cant use glass for flexibility…it is gotta be something else.
http://www.thegadgetcode.com/2012/12/samsung-galaxy-s4-display.html
All they needs is a better build quality, I’m tired of the plastic… If they get that part right then they’ll be unstoppable
Cool i have a upgrade in march three lines all one year a part so i get the new phone the wife and kid get my old phone. Tried to give the wife Evo lte but she said give it to the kid for xmas so i got Note2 wife still using evo 3d she gets the note next i get whatever super phone is out at that time
Used phone for Christmas so you can get another? Not judging, just clarifying
Im so glad I didnt buy the nexus4 or note2 or dna…….would have been a bit irked to have spent the money only to read now something brilliant like the s4 is just around the corber
and then 3 months after that.. .and then 3 months after that… you have to draw the line somewhere and just get a dang phone.
The next best thing is always “just around the corner”.
I know! And I usually buy it, but with gnex on 4.2 the need to have the latest and greatest has diminished somewhat. An unbreakable screen is a game changer
I definitely wouldn’t mind an unbreakable screen, that’s for sure.
Steve Ballmer just posted a video on YouTube of him breaking the SGS4 screen. He broke it in four perfect sections so it looks like the Windows symbol.
ha! thank you for the lols… i needed that.
Another innovation from Samsung.. This is what the mobile industry and technology realm needs, innovation! How dare a non-innovative company sues them? Lol..
I’d like the idea of non-breakable glass for a ” worry free for dropping it” experience..
SCREAMS-n-FAINTS!!!! What does this mean for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3……LAWD…I am so excited….So Spring/Summer = Galaxy release and Fall/Winter = Galaxy Note release…
Meanwhile HTC phans simply don’t care, touchwiz is like android for autists. It is simply terrible.
Get on HTC’s level. I have 64gb jelly bean 2100 mhz battery and a display that looks better than any amoled screen you have made.
2100 Maze battery? I want that.
Having had horrible HTC phones, I’m so glad for TouchWiz. HTC Sense black screen of death afflicted my HTC phones, not to mention bloated. Add encrypted boot loader, no SD card, non-removable battery, you can take the HTC phone and shove it where the sun don’t shine.
Why would we need a fold-able screen on a phone that won’t bend?
Unless the S4 is made of rubber… >.>
Now if we can just get an unbreakable digitizer
Unbreakable? As Shyamalan would say: what a twist!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdhhQhqi_AE
Unbreakbable sure, but very likely highly scratchable. It’s a difficult trade of, but I prefer my phone to not get scratches, rather than have to apply messy screen protectors that always have bubbles and peel up on the edges. Especially since those screen protectors also get scratched. Perhaps we could get an unbreakable screen with one of those new glass screen protectors a few companies are making? If samsung designed it with that in mind there would be no worries. Even if the protector broke, it would probably only be $15-$30 to replace and could be done easily by users at home. That would be the best of both worlds in my opinion. So long as the screen didn’t get badly scratched when the glass breaks.
Hah, I wonder if Apple is regretting their decision to not buy Samsung screens?
Yess
I wonder if this type of screen will scratch easy.
galaxy s4
nice but what about the digitizer?……..
Why are screens getting so excessively large?! WHY? If I wanted a bigger screen I’d buy a tablet. Also, who cares if the screen is unbreakable if they’ll just put breakable glass over it?
The flexible screens also use a lot less power… I think.