Flexible phones: prototypes and reality. Samsung may release flexible smartphones next year

Lack of innovation

Recently, there has been stagnation in the development of telephones. There are fewer and fewer differences in design, all phones look very similar: a plastic (less often metal or glass) block with a touch screen on the front and a camera on the back, and it would seem that it is impossible to come up with something more, to add variety, but, probably , many people remember those phones that were released in the “pre-iPhone” era, before 2007. Various colors, even shapes (Nokia n-Gage), and even if some of them were unsuccessful, there were still many successful examples, many successful designs, form factors that were popular: candy bar, slider, clamshell, rotator, and their various branches . But the success of the iPhone haunts manufacturers, and we see a lot of iPhone-like faceless crafts on the market, among which, perhaps, original design Only the top Nokia Lumia differs.

The wind of change

But in the light latest events Thoughts “not just an iPhone” appear. The concept of a bendable screen and a bendable phone is incredibly tempting, but the idea itself is not new and has been in use for a long time, but only as an idea, but now manufacturers have come quite close to its implementation. Flexible gadgets have a promising future and wide application. Developments in this area were presented at various exhibitions different companies: among these companies Siemens (2005), LG and Philips (2006), Sony (2007), TDK (2010), AUO (2011) and many others. Most displays were based on organic LEDs using OLED technology, as well as e-ink electronic ink technology, among flexible displays there are even color ones, but this is more of a curiosity than a given, and so far not a single device using color flexible e-ink display technology has been released. The little-known company Wexler with its e-book Flex One. It had a black and white flexible screen that was attached to a unit with a battery and all the electronics; the book did not find much popularity due to the inflated price and the low usefulness of the flexible display specifically in this device. The next sensational device was the unnamed Nokia phone, shown at Nokia World 2011, which was controlled by the bending of the body and, accordingly, had a flexible display, but, unfortunately, everything was limited to the exhibition, and, despite the promises of the vendor to release the device, it was not until the assembly lines It didn’t arrive, we didn’t see it on sale. 7 October 2 013 Samsung of the Year and Lg, within a few hours of each other, announced the start of production of flexible OLED panels, which used a plastic substrate instead of glass, with a bending radius of 40 centimeters. It is worth noting that bendable screens, as a concept, were presented even earlier at exhibitions. Of all the bendable smartphones, the closest to the ideal of flexible phones was this unnamed Nokia, in which the body bent, unlike now existing smartphones, but apparently the manufacturer ran into problems and it never saw the light of day. It is now reliably known that there are two smartphones with a curved body and, accordingly, a curved screen: Samsung Galaxy Round and LG G Flex. Rumors about them appeared after CES 2013; there was information that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 would receive such a display, but these rumors were not confirmed, and it appeared in the phablet form factor that has become familiar recently. To work on curved smartphones Samsung and Lg companies started at approximately the same time, they were also presented and released approximately at the same time, and, therefore, are direct competitors and, accordingly, deserve comparison as technical characteristics, and appearance.

Samsung Galaxy Round

The smartphone is essentially a copy of the previously released Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with minor changes, such as a curved body and screen, while the gadget is not capable of bending in one direction or another, it is curved along the horizontal axis, which does not add anything to it advantages except, perhaps, recognition and a more impressive appearance. You most likely will not feel the comfort of being curved when talking, if you compare it with your “flat” brothers; it will also not be more convenient to carry in your pocket due to its rather big size screen – 5.7 inches with a pixel density of 386 per inch. The resolution is 1080p (Full-HD), which will undoubtedly affect the convenience of watching movies and surfing the Internet, but at the same time, the screen is no different from its brother Note 3. The Round is also equipped with a powerful and energy-efficient Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 800 with four cores and a modern Adreno 330 graphics chip, of course, all the necessary modules are present: Gsm with network support fourth generation, which are not yet available in Ukraine, gyroscope, Gps, etc. Waiting for you behind high quality camera with a resolution of 13 megapixels, the quality of which is comparable to inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras. Since the gadget has a curved display, which is new, it also costs significantly more than its flat competitors, while losing to the Note 3 in battery capacity and the lack of a capacitive stylus. The kit includes high-quality earphones, a second battery in a translucent case and a charger for it. The gadget is currently available exclusively for the Korean market, and there may be difficulties ordering it, so if you are chasing the latest technologies, but are ready to sacrifice curvature, in the usefulness of which is this state and on this level development there is more doubt, excellent choice will become Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with its more capacious battery and a stylus.

Lg G Flex

Lg G Flex is a competitor to the Galaxy Round, curved along a different axis, this is how I would briefly describe this smartphone. Its technical characteristics are very similar to Lg G 2 and Google Nexus 5. In terms of technical characteristics, there is practically nothing special, this, in accordance with the stop status of the device, top processor and graphics chip, all necessary modules, protective glass latest generation and a 13 megapixel camera, which hardly surprises anyone these days. But there are features that make this phone stand out from the crowd of others. Special coating back cover, which can withstand minor scratches, which simply disappear over time, at the same time this will not save you from deep scratches, but even this trend and development in this direction are pleasant for the buyer. Also this phone has enough big advantage in the form of the fact that, having a bendable screen, the phone itself can bend, albeit a little, but still this feature can save quite a lot of phones from the sad fate of being crushed by the butt, to which the iPhone 5 is very susceptible. Also quite unusual is the display manufacturing technology , namely OLED, which is not widespread at all, but is an excellent and high-quality alternative to all the usual TFT, IPS, AMOLED. Overall - excellent and balanced smartphone, in which there are no pronounced positive or negative aspects, it can be described as high-quality, and also called a successful experiment with the form factor; it’s nice that here the curved display already performs a protective function.

Lg G Flex VS Samsung Galaxy Round

And, of course, the buyer is most interested in the question: what to buy? And only a head-to-head comparison of the characteristics, and most importantly, the benefits of using such an innovation as a flexible display, will answer this question. It is worth comparing according to the criteria that are most important to the average buyer.

1. Display

Here the device from Samsung will get a clear victory: the displays are made according to different technologies, both are flexible, but there is one thing: the Sansung screen surpasses its brother in resolution quite noticeably, which makes it clearer, and, accordingly, in Everyday life It will be more pleasant to use it, watch movies, the fonts will be clearer.

2. Performance

There is no clear winner here, since the devices are equipped with the same processors, the same graphics chips, but Samsung has a gigabyte more random access memory, but still the smoothness of operation will depend on the shell and its gluttony, so here there is parity.

3. Camera

Both smartphones have the same camera models from Sony, so the quality of shooting depends solely on software optimization by the manufacturer.

4. Innovation

Smartphones were created with one idea and goal: the emphasis was on the same thing - a flexible screen. But I would call the Lg G Flex a more useful carrier of new technologies, since its flexibility can protect the phone from repair in many situations. Also a pleasant surprise will be the ability of the back cover to self-heal, even from minor scratches.

Future

Of course, both one and the other device described above are only the first steps in mastering new technologies, the first steps towards creating completely new types of devices, they are designed to show the capabilities of manufacturing companies, and flexible phones definitely have a future, and There are many ways to use it: wearable electronics (bracelet phone), a tablet that can be folded into a smartphone and then unfolded back. Now all this seems like fantasy, but this is the future, which after several years will no longer seem unusual. New technologies come into our lives and gradually become familiar. Be ready, flexible phones It’s no longer fiction – it’s the reality of the coming decades.

P.S.: I’ve never learned Russian, I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

P.P.S.: This is the first article, so I expect a lot of justified criticism.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

This autumn turned out to be fruitful for new prototypes unusual smartphones. In October, a video with a new one was leaked online. The 30-second video shows a display running Android in the Chinese MIUI shell. The unusual shape of the screen does not in any way prevent the user from deftly swiping and moving through applications.

A 2013 Apple patent describing a mobile device with flexible screen

A 2016 Apple patent that depicts a mobile device that folds in half

Arouses curiosity and newness. The documentation describes a device that painfully resembles something from the past - either a book or a flip phone, bent in the middle. The Cupertino team has a patent for another interesting bendable device, which means the company is increasingly working in this direction.

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3 of 3

Samsung is not lagging behind Apple. Trying to quickly forget about, Korean company published on a smartphone, probably related to the secret Project Valley. Detailed description and a well-developed render of the model gives a clearer idea of ​​the device.

Lenovo presentation: smartphone bracelet and folding tablet with flexible screen

Lenovo in the summer of 2016 demonstrated a smartphone that can be wrapped around the wrist like a bracelet. At the same presentation, a new tablet was shown that folds in half: in this state it turns into a full-fledged smartphone.

Why do you need a bendable smartphone?

Lenovo CPlus Concept

The design has many advantages. Firstly, a device folded in half is easier to carry in your pocket. Secondly, even if it does not fold, a bendable device is more ergonomic - does everyone remember how the sixth iPhones folded in the back pockets of jeans? Plus, new devices promise to be more resistant to damage. Thirdly, the curved configuration is better suited for conversations - the device is more convenient to apply to the cheek. Fourthly, the new product definitely causes a wow effect and should attract users with its unusualness.

Well forgotten old?

LG G Flex with a hard body and a display curved along the horizontal axis

Samsung Galaxy Round with a screen curved around a vertical axis

LG and Samsung have long been experimenting with smartphone screens of unusual shapes. The LG G Flex and G Flex 2 models, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Round, had curved screens, but rigid bodies. According to their owners, such devices are easier to use with one hand: hold it in the palm of your hand and move your thumb in an arc, rather than along a plane.

According to the developers, the functionality of bendable devices is even higher. Firstly, the 7-inch phablet can easily be folded in half - which means there will be no problems carrying it in your pocket. And, for example, Lenovo smartphone You can even wear it on your wrist like a watch.

Device demonstration from Queen's University Belfast

In addition, bendable devices represent a completely new way physical interaction with applications. Developers from Queen's University in Belfast clearly demonstrated this on a display from LG: when the smartphone bends, the pages turn on the screen, and the more you bend the device, the faster they turn. The controls in the Angry Birds game are also interesting - and when pulling the slingshot, the user feels the elasticity of the body.

Will these new features take root and how much will they enrich user experience- time will tell. This is not entirely obvious yet. A few years ago it was fashionable to supplement flagship models smartphones with gesture control functions and even blowing into the speaker. In fact, all this looked good only in marketing presentations, and on modern devices these functions look like an atavism.

How does a bendable smartphone work?

Over the past 10 years, engineers have more or less learned how to make flexible OLED displays. LED cells are formed on a substrate made of elastic plastic or flexible metal film, which are covered with a thin protective film. According to expert forecasts, by 2020 the market for these displays will be valued at as much as $4 billion. But to create completely flexible smartphones, you need not only the screen, but also its other parts - the battery, printed circuit boards etc., and all are quite elastic. And it is not yet possible to make all components this way. Most likely, today's first flexible smartphones are short-lived - no one knows how many times they will last until cracks appear on the body and black stripes appear on the screen.

Engineers are increasingly introducing into the insides of a smartphone - their structure resembles a microscopic sheet of wire mesh rolled into a cylinder. This material is built into both conductors and batteries. Apple is also developing its device based on this technology. The patent documentation states that the internal structures consist of carbon nanotubes that form flexible and crack-resistant conductors, printed circuit boards, antennas and other electrical components.

Battery

Panasonic flexible battery

One of the main stumbling blocks in creating flexible mobile devices- this is a battery. It is known what can happen if you bend an ordinary battery: the integrity of the thin dielectric plate between the cathode and anode can be damaged -! Explosion, burns and a device without a chance of recovery. But manufacturers are looking for a way out. Panasonic in September flexible lithium ion battery, thickness 0.55 mm. The twist angle is not very impressive yet (only 25 degrees in each direction), but such deformation does not in any way affect the current output and charge of the element. The battery also cannot boast of capacity - only 17.5 mAh in comparison, for example, with 1960 mAh in iPhone battery 7. So this type of battery will be used in devices with low current consumption (smart cards, " smart clothes" etc.)

CNet, which got its hands on the device, only said that it runs Android and has a 4.26-inch display. It is expected that along with this model another one will be released - with a larger diagonal. Smartphones will be available in 12 colors. Other details and prices of the devices are still unknown, but most likely the flexible device will cost more than the average Android smartphone price segment
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Recently, there have been more and more presentations and conversations about gadgets with flexible screens. Lenovo has already announced prototypes of flexible smartphones and tablets, Samsung brand is probably already working on a flexible OLED display, and LG plans to sell TVs in rolls.

But all manufacturers will have to face a number of difficulties, including the service life of such devices and the emergence of dead pixels. But while developers are working on new products, we invite you to recall the concepts of flexible smartphones of past years. Few people know, but there were quite a lot of them. We will tell you about the most interesting ones. Unfortunately, many of them remain so simple ideas, only a few come to launch real devices. Concepts of flexible gadgets appeared more than 10 years ago.

Nokia 888

This is one of the most famous concepts, developed by Turkish designer Tamer Nakiski back in 2005. In theory, the smartphone would have a flexible OLED display, a flexible 5 mm body, and would be recharged from liquid batteries.

It was planned that the device could be bent in different directions and made into different bracelet shapes. And thanks to special components, the smartphone could bend itself when receiving incoming calls or SMS. But, unfortunately, the gadget never grew into anything more than a concept.

This idea was developed by designer Wang Yifei. This is a folding concept Nokia phone E10, which can turn into a tablet thanks to its retractable screen. At the top of the case there is a headphone jack, camera and power button. At the bottom of the panel there is a slot for a SIM card and miniUSB. On the left side of the case there would be a speaker and volume control buttons. In order for the user to get a tablet, the large screen would slide out of the case if necessary. It was planned to place solar panels on the back of the smartphone.

Let's continue the Nokia theme. Another interesting idea is Nokia Human Form, developed in the company's research bureau. This is completely transparent smartphone with flexible touch transparent screens. To control the smartphone, you can bend it in any direction. Among the others interesting features– the device must recognize the mood of the video caller.

The author of the concept in 2009 was designer Alexander Mukomelov. In theory, it would be an oblong smartphone, in the body of which a flexible OLED display would be rolled up. The front camera and speakers would be located above the screen itself, and the power button would be located on top of the body. On the right are the volume control buttons, on the left is the flexible screen eject button. Another idea is a special screen coating that should be used as a solar panel to charge the device.

The most similar idea was born in 2011 by designer Karim Pownell. The concept was called HTC Flex. It would be a smartphone with an oblong block with a touch screen. The second screen is a flexible OLED matrix with a 6-inch diagonal, hidden in the body. If necessary, it is removed and fixed, and looks like additional screen. It was supposed to display an image on it.

Another interesting concept in 2011, reminiscent of the Nokia 888. This is a flexible LG Auki, created by Gwen Frederick. It is a flexible elongated smartphone that takes a straight shape and folds into a bracelet. There should be a touch display throughout the entire area, and the smartphone itself should be charged from solar panels. As planned, the smartphone should be equipped with a pedometer, calorie counter, heart rate monitor and appropriate software so that during training, it can be hung on your hand like a bracelet to monitor progress.

There are rumors on the Internet about flexible Samsung smartphone Project Valley, which the company is actively working on. But there is also an older Samsung Flip concept from designer Nick Trumbo. Unfortunately, this idea did not develop into a functioning device. Samsung Flip would have the shape of a kind of clamshell, on the inside of which there would be a large and flexible OLED screen, a second, smaller one, would be located on one of the outer halves, and a third, smallest one, on one of the ends. This smartphone can be hung on a carrying belt or placed on a surface for video calls.

Limbo

This is the closest of all concepts to reality. Developed by designer Jeabyun Yeon, the gadget can be used either in its usual form or attached to a special bracelet and worn as a SMART-Watch. The smartphone will be attached to the bracelet using magnets.

In its normal position, the smartphone has a familiar shape: a camera on the back with a flash, hardware buttons on the sides.

There is one user on the network with the nickname PhoneDesigner, who has already for a long time working on interesting smartphone ideas. One of them is Leather Phone. This is a smartphone with a flexible screen and a body made of genuine leather.

All features are standard. Three buttons below the screen, front-camera And speaker top of the screen. As planned, the smartphone should run on Windows Phone OS.

Now about working prototypes of flexible devices.

The prototype was presented at Nokia World back in 2011. Of course, it didn’t go beyond the prototype, but it itself is working and interesting. IN in this case the manufacturer proposed to control the interface by bending the device.

The materials used to create the smart device were elastomer and carbon nanotubes, the resistance of which changes if the screen is bent. Due to this feature, the device is controlled: zoom in, zoom out, manage applications.

A slightly similar prototype with the idea of ​​control by bending the screen was created by researchers at the Human Media Lab - ReFlex. You can turn pages and play games using bending. All electronic components placed on the sides of the screen. Flexible is used Touchpad with a resolution of 1280x720. At the back is a set of sensors that record the degree and direction of bending.

Modern appearance mobile phone firmly “stuck” in the heads of most people. If we are asked to imagine modern device, something like this will probably appear before us latest models Apple or Samsung - rectangular with a wide touch screen. If you think about it, this is really true. We can't even imagine that a phone could be different. That he can go beyond these rectangular large displays and a body that is as thin and light as possible. For example, ideas have long appeared in the minds of developers that it is possible to release a phone with a flexible screen. They tried to do this a few years ago, and Samsung and LG got involved in the battle for such technology.

screen?

As the phrase itself makes clear, flexible is a screen that does not have a rigid base, one that can be bent without affecting its functionality. This means that such a screen can be easily rolled into a tube, or even folded in half. The phone, which will have such flexible LED screens, can be safely reduced in size by bending it in half. This is so unusual for us, given our experience with exclusively “hard” touchscreen phones, that, at first glance, it’s even difficult to name the first and most obvious advantages that such devices will have. And they exist, and they are quite thorough.

Advantages of a bendable screen

So, the advantages that a flexible screen will have should begin to be listed with the fact that it is very unusual. It’s not for nothing that we are used to working exclusively with rigid phones, which is why picking up such a device that can be bent in any direction we like is an unusual experience. And it is obvious that this will interest buyers. In turn, the presentation of such a device could provide a sharp jump for the company that introduces such a device first. This explains the fierce struggle waged by LG and Samsung for primacy in this market sector. By introducing such a display, we can repeat Apple's success in the touch phone market.

Next, we should note the expansion of the functionality of a mobile phone, which has a flexible screen. After all, it can be folded, say, to take more convenient pictures. Also, with an elastic screen on your phone, you can view pictures and videos from a completely different, previously unseen angle, bending them, again, at your discretion. The picture on such a display, simply put, will be many times more realistic and of higher quality than on conventional panels.

Finally, another benefit that bendable displays can provide is screen protection. It's no secret what is the most vulnerable spot not only phones, but also tablets. If a device with such a screen falls, then, with a high probability, its monitor will become covered with cracks, if not stop working altogether. The same applies to cases where, for example, iPhone screen The 5S bent in the back pocket of my jeans due to the pressure that was constantly applied to the device. If the screen on the phone was flexible, this would not have happened.

The first models with a screen that can be bent

If you think that phones that have a real flexible LED screen, these are just fantasies, then you are mistaken. In fact, at least two devices have been presented in the world that can please their owners with such a “trick” as a bending screen. Samsung Company introduced such a device as the Galaxy Round, and LG introduced its G Flex model. These two devices became the world's first phones with a flexible display, and they were introduced in 2013. Their peculiarity is that they are curved in the shape of an arc, thus, it is more convenient to work with them (it is easy to reach the curtain with your finger), and viewing video and photo content is much more interesting - all videos come out “more alive” than on a flat screen. However, despite the debut, there was no “boom” in sales of these phones. It is quite possible that the public simply missed the release of these new products for the reason that the phones did not demonstrate any revolutionary changes. It is still impossible to bend the device, giving it arbitrary shapes, due to the rigid body and battery. Here, only the flexible screen can change its shape, but the average user cannot do this. As Samsung promises, for example, they are going to continue to use the technology, installing the same display on their new advanced Galaxy model S6. Other phone manufacturers are not yet interested in flexible screens.

Prospects and expectations

In fact, it is impossible to reveal all the prospects for flexible displays in one article, since there are a lot of nuances and factors that are difficult to take into account. Manufacturers, when promoting such devices, expect, first of all, a stir among gadget lovers and ordinary users who are interested. And users expect that they will be offered not just some new product, insignificantly different in functions from other models, but a phone that will be of high quality and inexpensive . This is something Samsung, LG and others are still working on.

Samsung - another flexible OLED display gg

In the wake of frequent demonstrations of actually working prototypes of flexible screens, smartphones and tablets, it becomes clear that the future is about to really arrive. It’s a pity that so far only in the field of consumer electronics, with flights to Mars and beyond, the situation is more complicated. In any case, Lenovo has already shown prototypes of a flexible smartphone and tablet, Samsung has another flexible OLED display (and is probably working on something similar), and LG will sell OLED TVs in rolls. Manufacturers still have to solve a number of problems, in particular quick exit failure of such displays and the appearance of dead pixels. While engineers are actively working on this, we will remember the concepts of flexible smartphones of past years, and there were a lot of them. It’s impossible to list them all, but we will try to mention some of the most interesting ones. Editorial gg loves interesting concepts and we have already written about many of the ones listed below at one time.

Most concepts remain concepts, only in isolated cases does it reach some kind of real device. The very concept of a concept presupposes, first of all, an idea and one’s own vision of future devices, often without reference to technological realities. Flexible smartphone concepts began to appear more than 10 years ago with the development of OLED and developments in new batteries.

Nokia 888

Perhaps one of the most famous was the Nokia 888 concept. It was developed by a Turkish designer Tamer Nakiski ( Tamer Nakisci) in 2005 and won one of the competitions The Nokia Europe Benelux Awards 2005. According to his idea, the smartphone was supposed to have a flexible OLED display, a flexible body 5 mm thick and be powered by special liquid batteries.

A smartphone could be bent in different directions and made from it bracelet, clamshell and more intricate shapes, even a heart. Moreover, thanks to the built-in drive system, the smartphone could bend itself, for example, with incoming calls or messages. Unfortunately, the smartphone remained purely a concept, but there are a lot of spectacular renders and videos.

Nokia E10

Let's continue with Nokia concepts, and there used to be an incredible number of them due to their former popularity. The Nokia E10 concept was developed by designer Wang Yifei. He came up with the idea of ​​a rollable phone that can turn into a tablet thanks to a foldable, retractable screen. At the top end there are headphone jack, camera lens and power button. The tray for the SIM card and miniUSB is at the bottom, and the speaker and volume buttons are located on the left side.

If necessary, the large screen slides out of the body and the user gets something like a tablet running MeeGo OS. It was planned to place solar panels on the back of the smartphone and the retractable segments on which the display is mounted.

Mobile Script

Back in 2009 a concept called Mobile Script was invented. The author is the designer Alexander Mukomelov from Simferopol. P According to the designer's idea, a flexible OLED display is rolled up inside a rather thin oblong smartphone with a touch screen covering the entire area of ​​the front panel. Of course, depending on the functions used, the virtual controls on the screen change to the appropriate ones.

The front camera and speakers are located above the screen, and the power button is on top. On the right side there are volume control buttons, and on the left there is a button for ejecting the flexible screen. Another idea of ​​the designer is a kind of screen covering that should work like a solar panel for charging a smartphone.

HTC Flex

In 2011, designer Kareem Pownall made a similar, more compact (by design) concept called HTC Flex. Like other similar concepts, it has nothing to do with HTC other than the personal sympathy of the author. The smartphone is a very elongated candy bar with a main touch screen.

The second display is a flexible OLED matrix with a 6-inch diagonal that is hidden in the case, and, if necessary, is removed and fixed, representing an additional screen. It was supposed to display an image and use the main screen as a QWERTY keyboard.

LG Auki

Coming from the same 2011 is another interesting concept, which in its essence is a little reminiscent of the Nokia 888. This is a flexible LG Auki. The work of Gwen Frederic is a flexible elongated smartphone that can take either the usual “straight” shape, or curl into a bracelet or take on a wave-like design. Almost the entire area should have a touchscreen display, and the smartphone should be powered primarily by solar panels.

Even then, engineers and designers were thinking about such a common and now popular thing as a fitness tracker. According to G's idea Wen Frederik, LG Auki should be equipped with such familiar now pedometer, calorie counter, heart rate monitor and related software, so that during sports it can be used in the form of a bracelet to track physical activity.

Samsung Flip

Since we have already remembered South Korean manufacturers, we should not forget about Samsung. There are constantly rumors on the Internet about the so-called Samsung Project Valley - a flexible smartphone that the company is actively working on. But now I would like to recall the older concept of Samsung Flip by designer Nick Trumbo, which, of course, remained a concept.

Samsung Flip has the shape of a kind of folding wallet, on the inside of which there is the largest, flexible OLED screen, another smaller one is located on one of the outer halves and the third, smallest one is on one of the ends, for displaying the charge, clock, notifications, etc. Further. The smartphone can be hung on a pocket or belt for carrying, or placed on a table for video calls.

Kyocera EOS

Another concept that resembles a tri-fold wallet was shown in 2009 by Kyocera. The EOS smartphone should be equipped with a flexible OLED screen and will be able to fold three times. One of the outer “sections” will house a hardware QWERTY keyboard, which will “hide” when not needed. By the way, Tactus similar technology For touch screens already showed it.

Another interesting idea that was supposed to be used in Kyocera EOS is charging the smartphone from kinetic energy, which is generated during the process of folding and unfolding the smartphone.

Nokia Human Form

Another incredibly beautiful and futuristic concept is the Nokia Human Form, which was developed by the research division of Nokia itself. Nokia Human Form - completely transparent smartphone made of flexible material with flexible touch transparent screens. To control the smartphone you need to bend in different directions

Among the particularly interesting ideas: the smartphone should convey the features and roughness of the depicted objects and recognize the mood of the video caller.

Limbo

Designer Jeabyun Yeon once made a concept of the Limbo smartphone that was closer to reality. The gadget can be used either in its usual form or bent, attached to a special bracelet and worn as a smart watch. Judging by the images, the smartphone will be attached to the bracelet using magnets.

In the “classic” state, the smartphone has a fairly familiar shape: a camera with a flash on the back, hardware buttons on the sides. The only thing non-standard solution- a compartment on the rear panel in which the SIM card will be installed.

Leather Phone

User under nickname PhoneDesigner has been creating a variety of interesting smartphone concepts for a long time. One of his creations is the Leather Phone. The name fully reflects the idea: the smartphone has a flexible screen and a flexible body made of genuine leather. It looks quite unusual and stylish.

All functional organs are standard: three physical buttons below the screen, a front camera and an earpiece above the screen. As planned PhoneDesigner, the smartphone must run on Windows Phone OS.

And as a bonus - a couple of working prototypes of flexible smartphones.

Nokia Kinetic

Another option comes from Nokia itself. The prototype of the flexible Nokia Kinetic was shown at Nokia World 2011. It didn’t go beyond the prototype, but the prototype itself was quite functional and interesting. In this case, a slightly different idea is used: the manufacturer offers to control the interface by bending the smartphone.

The smartphone was made of elastomer and carbon nanotubes, the resistance of which changes if the screen is bent. Due to this, control of the device is realized, including enlargement, reduction, control of media player functions, and so on.

ReFlex

Continuing the topic of controlling the interface by bending the smartphone, it’s worth remembering the recent prototype. Researchers from the Human Media Lab showed a prototype of the bendable ReFlex smartphone, similar to the Nokia Kinetic. You can flip through the pages of a book, play games. For example, in Angry Birds, you can use bending to value and launch birds.

All electronics are placed on the sides of the screen. A flexible touch panel manufactured by LG Display with a resolution of 1280x720 is used (apparently the same as the POLED panel in the LG Flex). At the back there is a set of sensors that record the degree and direction of bending.

And here's one more thing for you to snack on interesting video with visualization of how they can be used flexible displays in the phones of the future: