Samsung introduces Flex Titanium, a new foldable screen tech with reduced creasing

[Shawn Knight]

What we know so far: Samsung has announced a new display technology for foldable devices designed to balance strength, flexibility, and slimness. Dubbed Flex Titanium for its use of two titanium-based components, it is set to debut in the next generation of Galaxy foldable devices that'll be announced on July 22.

Samsung said its Flex Titanium tech is the result of seven generations of foldable innovation and accumulated display know-how. It utilizes a titanium-alloy film roughly one-third the thickness of a human hair that sits below the OLED panel to boost mechanical stiffness by 20 times compared to a polymer film. A precision rolling process is used to press the titanium into the desired thinness.

A separate titanium plate is positioned below the film, which allows for tighter bonding with the display by eliminating air gaps. Together, the advancements are said to reduce crease visibility – a common complaint among existing flexible screens.

Smartphones with folding screens have been billed as the next big thing in mobile technology, but the rollout hasn't been without challenges. Cutting-edge tech such as this can be prohibitively expensive for some prospective buyers, and early iterations often come with technological hurdles that have not yet been ironed out.

At first, the category felt like a solution to a problem that did not exist – sort of like early smartwatches – but that view has since shifted in the eyes of many.

In addition to cost, durability and the unsightly crease have kept other early adopters at bay. If Samsung's Flex Titanium tech can visibly reduce the appearance of the crease, it will be another positive for the emerging category.

Samsung will host its next Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, and the Galaxy Z series is expected to be the star of the show. Interested parties can score a $30 credit on a pre-order by reserving ahead of time although if you are like me, committing to a purchase before a product has even been announced is a tough ask.

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Samsung introduces Flex Titanium, a new foldable screen tech with reduced creasing

 

[NumberNine]

What a waste of materials and expertise.
They'll never run out of novelties to sell fools.

 

[Anton Longshot]

Why does it only have a single fold? It should have a bunch so the whole thing can fold up to stamp-size or smaller and fully unfold with a shake.

But seriously, in twenty years we'll laugh at the ancient tech no one has used for a very long time but is the latest & greatest right now. I'm looking forward to see where new developments will take us. I haven't forgotten the personal devices used in the Expanse TV show but while those looked super cool there's really no telling where it's all going.

 

[yRaz]

What a waste of materials and expertise.
They'll never run out of novelties to sell fools.

That would require the world runs out of fools

 

[LordVile95]

But it’s still got a crease they’ve just widened the angle mainly and the display can still be damaged by basically anything.

 

[Anton Longshot]

What a waste of materials and expertise.
They'll never run out of novelties to sell fools.

On other techie sites I've met more than a few people who love their hyperexpensive foldables and will absolutely buy newer/better versions when available.
To each his own. Calling people with different tastes fools never made anyone look intelligent.

That said, these horrors are not for me unless of course they pay me then I'll cash in and dump the thing in a drawer.
Also, mint condition items like these may very well increase in value over time. I know because I've trashed devices in the past that would be worth Big Money now.
Ouch.

 

[NumberNine]

On other techie sites I've met more than a few people who love their hyperexpensive foldables and will absolutely buy newer/better versions when available.
To each his own. Calling people with different tastes fools never made anyone look intelligent.

That said, these horrors are not for me unless of course they pay me then I'll cash in and dump the thing in a drawer.
Also, mint condition items like these may very well increase in value over time. I know because I've trashed devices in the past that would be worth Big Money now.
Ouch.

If one's taste is to shell out nearly two grand for something that is designed to crease down the middle of the screen when one could buy a device that doesn't do that for a fraction of the cost, with the only tradeoff being that the finger needs to be moved more on the cheaper phone, that's foolish to me.

Just an edit to add that there is no combination of words that can bring me to respect someone willing to promote products built with an overpriced, anti-consumer, non-repairable design philosophy which only works well enough to technically deliver sticker specs for a couple of years, not draw lawsuits, and then promptly fail at the next refresh cycle. I just can't clap for that on anyone's birthday.

 

[Endymio]

If one's taste is to shell out nearly two grand for something that is designed to crease down the middle of the screen when one could buy a device that doesn't do that for a fraction of the cost, with the only tradeoff being that the finger needs to be moved more on the cheaper phone

It's a bit difficult to decode this word salad, but you're missing the point that a folded phone gives you twice the screen area for essentially the same device volume.

Just an edit to add that there is no combination of words that can bring me to respect someone willing to promote products built with an overpriced, anti-consumer... philosophy.

Translation: "I despise anything I can't afford".

Price is relative. A Bugatti Chiron is only 50% faster than my car, but costs 15X as much. For myself, a $3M price tag on a vehicle is certainly overpriced, but for those who earn that sum on a daily basis, it's mere pocket change.