Samsung’s new foldable display is harder to crease and damage

Samsung has unveiled a new flexible display technology for foldable phones that’s designed to be slimmer, more durable, and less prone to creasing. The Flex Titanium tech is the culmination of everything that the company has learned over seven generations of foldables, according to Samsung, and will debut with the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. And since Samsung Display is a long-time Apple supplier, this improved display might even appear in the rumored iPhone foldable expected later this year.

As its name suggests, the Flex Titanium display uses a combination of two titanium-based components to improve strength, flexibility, and slimness. A titanium-alloy film provides structural support from underneath the OLED panel, providing “20 times greater mechanical stiffness” compared to polymer film, and measures about one-third the thickness of an average human hair.

A titanium plate located under the film enables tighter bonding with the display module, improving stability when unfolded while “retaining the flexibility needed to accommodate repeated folding,” according to Samsung. This new display tech will also consume less power and produce “ultra-vivid” display visual resolution.

“Together, these advancements enable a strong foldable display that maximizes content immersion on a seamless screen and reduces crease visibility — all while keeping it slim,” Samsung said in its announcement. “By balancing strength, flexibility and structural stability, Samsung continues to set the bar for foldable displays.”

This is Samsung’s latest effort to reduce (or eradicate) visible creases in folding displays, an issue that still blights every foldable you can currently buy. A creaseless OLED prototype was also showcased by Samsung Display earlier this year, with speculation that it could be used in Apple’s highly anticipated folding iPhone. At the time, Samsung Display said the creaseless OLED was “an R&D concept, with no fixed timeline or plan for commercialization,” but it’s since been reported that the company has signed a three-year exclusivity deal to provide screens for the supposedly crease-free Apple foldable.

Further details about the display will be available at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22nd where Samsung’s latest foldables are expected to be showcased.