Samsung has announced a new “unbreakable” OLED smartphone panel that is Underwriters Laboratory (UL)-certified to withstand drops of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters).
Underwriters Laboratory (UL) is an official testing company for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor.
According to UL, the unbreakable display developed by Samsung Display passed the rigorous real-time durability test that is based on military standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense. After a drop test administered at 1.2 meters (nearly 4 feet) above the ground 26 times in succession, and accompanying high (71 degrees) and low (-32 degrees) temperature tests, the Samsung unbreakable panel continued to function normally with no damage to its front, sides or edges.
Samsung says the display was also drop tested at a height of six feet with no signs of damage.
The flexible OLED panel includes an unbreakable substrate with an overlay window adhered to it. Current-generation flexible display products attach a glass-covered window to their display that often breaks when impacted.
Samsung indicates the panels are being developed mainly for use in smartphones, but will also likely find a home in other products that could benefit form an unbreakable display, such as mobile military devices, portable gaming consoles, and more.
“The fortified plastic window is especially suitable for portable electronic devices not only because of its unbreakable characteristics, but also because of its lightweight, transmissivity and hardness, which are all very similar to glass,” said Hojung Kim, general manager of the Communication Team, Samsung Display Company.
Samsung’s unveiling of their new Galaxy Note 9 handset is set two weeks from now, so it will be interesting to see if the company uses the new display technology in the new device.
It should be noted that Apple uses Samsung displays in its iPhone lineup, so it is possible the new display may make an appearance in a future iPhone.
