Gadgets and Phones with Flexible Screens

Flexible screens; but not the way you think

2013 will be the year when flexible screens will finally move from being just prototypes to actual consumer products. They just won’t work the way you visualise it right now.

The Holy Grail has been a product the size of a matchbox, which when unfolded several times becomes a nine-inch screen. What most people forget is that the screen may bend but it also needs the inside components to do the same. Thus the micro chips, the processor, the storage, the body, the frame – everything inside and outside must flex and fold! And that isn’t going to happen in 2013.

Right now, look for flexible screens that work on OLED technology, move to resin and plastic instead of glass and become much lighter and thinner.

The big advantage will be that these screens won’t break when the device falls from your hand and will be impervious to normal scratches and wear and tear. Expect a few devices to bend and fold halfway or roll the screen away from the body.