50%
Plausible
A foldable smartphone’s crease continues to be one of the weakest aspects of the device, but Samsung is concocting a technology similar to the iPhone Fold for its own competitor to not only reduce the aforementioned crease’s visibility but also improve the device’s durability. Here are all the details.
The “Wide Fold” to feature UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) that’s 30 percent thicker than the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, bringing a host of improvements
The use of UTG has been adopted in foldable smartphones, but not to the extent that the industry requires. For instance, Apple is rumored to be testing this panel in varying thickness for the iPhone Fold while also exploring a protection film placed on this glass to improve scratch resistance. According to ZDNet Korea, Samsung will employ one of these technologies, which is the thicker UTG, to its ‘Wide Fold.’
The glass is said to measure 60μm, making it 30 percent thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s UTG, which is 45μm. Samsung has been a pioneer of this Ultra Thin Glass technology, but it has always stuck with a thinner frame, as this reduces the risk of the panel breaking when the foldable smartphone is completely folded.
As expected, the downside is that the crease becomes fairly visible and its durability is compromised, especially when using sharper objects around it. Since the iPhone Fold is moving towards a new aesthetic that revolves around making the primary display as clean as possible with a minimum number of screen blemishes, it’s only a matter of time before Samsung adopts a similar approach.
One reason why the Korean giant might be apprehensive about bringing thicker UTG to its foldable smartphones earlier was that the component itself would be pricier, not to mention the engineering required to precisely add to the device while holding up against 200,000 folds over the course of a few years. This level of research requires a serious dollar amount, but seeing as how the iPhone Fold is getting prepped later this year, Samsung’s ‘Wide Fold’ and other competitors will need to step up their game.
News Source: ZDNet Korea
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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