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If the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 switch to new technology and then the slightly boring display crease that is present even on the best foldables will become less apparent.
This is according to OTI Lumionics, an advanced OLED research and materials company that has specialized knowledge in displays, foldable and otherwise. The company told Tom’s Guide that foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 would likely see less noticeable crease in folding screens, along with other technological improvements, thanks to advancements in display materials and manufacturing.
Along with fold reduction, OTI Lumionics’ market research, along with reports from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), tipped the Galaxy Z Fold 3 for a more responsive touchscreen and an under-display camera. impressive.
As OTI Lumionics has developed a new filter technology that is currently part of the OLED supply chain, it is confident in the claims of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the company could not confirm whether its technology is being used in Samsung’s upcoming foldable phones, but a representative said it “is supplying material for research purposes to a number of OLED panel makers and smartphone makers.”
But if this technology is adopted by Samsung and other smartphone makers, then we could see the Galaxy Z Fold 3 spearheading an evolution of foldable phones.
Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could reduce foldable screen wrinkles
According to OTI Lumionics and DSCC, the Galaxy Z fold 3 will forgo the circular polarizer found on just about every smartphone and adopt much finer “color filter on encapsulation” (CoE) technology.
This is all very technical, so let’s break it down. Most, if not all, phones come with a circular polarizer in the display stack (the layers that make up a screen). It is a material that helps reduce glare in bright light, improving visibility in the sun.
The problem is, a circular polarizer can be 81 microns thick, almost that of a sheet of paper. It might not sound like a lot, but all of those layers add up and a thicker display stack can lead to a bulkier phone. The current Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is hardly a thin phone, so it makes sense that Samsung would want to find thinner materials if needed.
Thus, OTI Lumionics and DSCC believe that Samsung will opt for a CoE material rather than a circular polarizer to neutralize incoming light and reduce the thickness of the display stack.
“By jumping into this new technology called color filter on encapsulation, what they can allow is to have more space now for other things to do,” said Jacky Qiu, vice-president. president of OTI Lumionics.
And Qiu noted that using thinner materials would allow Samsung to then use thicker foldable glass for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 screen. And as a result, it would be less prone to visible creases.
korean site The elec also reported that Samsung could use this new color filter material. And a recent report from Ross Young, co-founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants in Austin, effectively corroborated previous reports and Qiu’s claims.
However, Young doesn’t think Samsung will use thicker glass to reduce screen wrinkles or that the stack of screens will be thinner than before. Instead, Young says Samsung will incorporate a layer of carbon-reinforced polymer under the Galaxy Z Fold 3 panel, with the same glass used by its predecessor.
“The Z Fold 3 incorporates a layer of carbon reinforced polymer to increase strength under the panel,” Young told Tom’s Guide. “The display film stack on the Z Fold 3 is almost 40% thicker than on the Z Fold 2 despite removing the circular polarizer due to the addition of the relatively thick digitizer. It includes a shatterproof / protective layer below the UTG previously seen in the Z Flip 5G.
So even if a thicker glass is not used and the display stack remains thicker, the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s screen is still tilted to be more resistant to wrinkles thanks to the reinforcement. And if this technology filters the supply chain to other phone makers, we may see stronger, more resilient foldable phone screens in the near future.
Can the Galaxy Fold 3’s sub-screen camera compare to punch-hole cameras?
Samsung’s flagship phones have long been contenders in our list of the best camera phones, especially with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. But the evolution of the selfie camera is the phone’s next frontier, especially with the idea of placing it under the screen to avoid the use of annoying cutouts or notches.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is slated to get such a camera, and Qiu told us it might be the best yet. And it will depend on the CoE technology.
With the first generation sub-screen cameras, there was only around 20-22% transparency according to Qiu, which doesn’t allow for great front-facing shots. We’ve seen this happen in the ZTE Axon 20 5G, one of the first phones to come with an under-display camera.
But while the display layers should be between the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s supposed selfie camera and the top glass surface, Qiu believes that using a CoE material filter will allow a lot more light to pass through it. ‘screen. And more light meant better photos.
“So if you get that 50-100% improvement, you could get 30% overall stack transparency,” Qiu said. “It’s still less than half the transparency than before, but it’s possible, with more powerful backend algorithms and cameras, you can upgrade everything.”
Young notes that while not fully transparent like a hole punch, the increased transmissivity could see the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s underscreen camera make some noticeable improvements over the ZTE Axon 20’s camera.
Additionally, Young says Samsung’s computer photography could help iron out some weird quirks with CoE, such as the “yellowing polyimide substrate” (the ZTE Axon 20 has a transparent glass substrate), which could make selfies yellowish before the algorithms modify the photo.
In the future, Samsung may be able to use a colorless polyimide instead, but current temperature requirements prevent it from being used as a flexible substrate.
Another advantage of using a proper sub-screen camera is that it can make a foldable phone more durable. According to Qiu, pushing the camera under the screen should help eliminate a potential weak spot caused by laser cutting a hole on the front panel assembly.
“Instead of digging a hole, you can basically use something that is there, and you just stick the camera behind the screen. [it] can also improve structural integrity, ”Qiu said.
Improved touch and S Pen support for Galaxy Z Fold 3
A change in display technology has also been planned to make the Galaxy Fold 3 screen more responsive to the touch and have S Pen compatibility; the latter that we have already seen in the rumor mill.
According to a presentation by Young at the SID 2021 business conference, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could do so by using active electrostatic digitizer technology instead of electromagnetic resonance for the S Pen’s touch functionality.
As a result, the touch response will be improved compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. And it will be convenient as the foldables use softer glass than standard smartphones, which means there is more flexibility in the display which might make them less responsive when using a stylus. But if the Galaxy Fold 3 tackles it, it could pave the way for other foldables to follow.
The future of foldable phone pricing and ubiquity
While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks like the foldable phone to look at, Young recently tweeted that Google, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi had purchased 120Hz UTG LTPO panels for the launch of the foldables in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Even with more and more companies involved in the space, foldables are still out of reach for many buyers due to the high cost associated with it. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched at $ 2,000 for example. And with the new technology that Samsung’s next foldable phone is expected to have, it might be some time before advancements turn into affordable foldable futures.
But as manufacturing improves with the increase in foldable production, prices are expected to follow. Sri Peruvemba, CEO of display company Marketer International, predicts that foldables like the Z Fold 3 could fall below the $ 1,000 mark over the next three years.
Already, rumors indicate that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is approaching that $ 1,000 price tag. While a rumored $ 1,249 isn’t cheap, it’s better than the Galaxy Z Flip 5G original price of $ 1,449.
“What I’m really excited about is if they can start releasing the Fold series outside of their home market in South Korea and be able to see it in town here…” Qiu said. “Because it’s definitely a great device that turns heads.”
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