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.

Permalink to story:

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.

 

[Inthenstus]

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.


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.

Also twice the weight, and bulk. And a thousand more difficult to hold in one hand. At what point does a phone become a tablet? It’s a joke of technology and has very real potential in other applications.

 

[Endymio]

Also twice the weight, and bulk

Oops! The Samsung Galaxy Z 7 folding phone is 215g, 3g less than their S25 Ultra.

. At what point does a phone become a tablet?

You can't put a tablet in your hip pocket, now can you?

It’s a joke of technology

The joke here are those who believe the needs and wants of the entire world population must exactly match their own.

 

[Rudyduu]

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

How is it a waste? Just because it's something you don't want doesn't makes them bad. Clearly, they are selling enough foldables to keep developing them.

Also twice the weight, and bulk. And a thousand more difficult to hold in one hand. At what point does a phone become a tablet? It’s a joke of technology and has very real potential in other applications.

Did you do any research before writing this post? You think foldable phones weigh twice what their non-foldable versions weigh? What measurement is used to determine how difficult something is to hold and how is a foldable phone more difficult to hold? Would you rather carry around two separate devices for two different tasks rather than one device that can to do things?

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.

How many extra words to you need to use? And what does most of this even mean? "sticker spec for a couple of years"? "drawing lawsuits"? "...the finger needs to be moved more on the cheaper phone"? Failing "at the next refresh cycle"? It's as if you read headlines about general issues mobile phones and folding phones have had assuming these problems apply to every folding phone then and since. Did you even read the above article?

You make it sound like non-folding phones are consumer friendly, cheap, reliable, and highly repairable. If these folding phones are so bad, why has Samsung been able to justify their continued development?

Have you actually held a folding phone? I'm guessing not. You sound like an old person shaking their fist at some technology they don't understand and automatically don't like for no real reason other than you don't like them. Why are you so angry at folding phones? What did they do to you? Are they on your lawn playing their loud music?

 

[BobHome]

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

Don't forget, that those engineers have to show something--anything--to prove they are still employable. If the boss likes it... I can buy bread again tomorrow.