Samsung is already thinking about a future with OLED screens everywhere. Included in a collar or foldable console

One of the most entertaining activities you can do at the Mobile World Congress is to walk around the Samsung Display stand. This is Samsung’s division, one of the many it has, in charge of research and development of panels. If today we have the TriFold in the market is because, years ago, We saw its prototype displayed here. That’s why taking a look around their stand is so entertaining, because it lets you see what developments the company has in the works. Whether they see the light or not is another story, but the proposal is nice.

OLED panels everywhere. Samsung is, along with LG and BOE, one of the few companies capable of produce OLED panels. That’s why it makes sense that the company wants to put them everywhere. Not only on premium mobile phones, where they are already practically omnipresent, or on televisions, but on every possible gadget, be it a controller, a console or a virtual assistant with AI.

From tiny to conventional size. One of the prototypes we have seen is a vertically rollable phone. The device has a motor that unfolds the screen upwards and hides it downwards, as if it were a blind, and allows you to have a compact phone and, if you want to play or read, a more elongated panel. Very interesting, although with some flaws.

The main one is that, rolled up, what in another context would be an aluminum edge would, on this occasion, be a screen, one that is also very exposed to all kinds of misfortunes in the pocket, dirt, knocks, etc. It is striking as a concept, but perhaps it makes more sense on a laptop where, in fact, we are already starting to see them.

What’s more, Samsung is in it. We have also seen this same roll-up panel technology in a type of tablet and a laptop. The latter is very reminiscent of the Lenovo proposal and unroll the screen to go from 13 to 17 inches. This format, still in its infancy, has a lot of potential if we think of a device that combines productivity and versatility.

On the tablet, which could also be understood as a portable external monitor, the panel goes from a panoramic format to a 4:3 format that is practically 1:1, something that can be somewhat useful when having several applications open and in office tasks. Without a doubt, where the roll-up format is going to shine is in medium/large panels. Whether we see them on the street or not… only time will tell.

From big to bigger. One of the most curious prototypes has been this trilaptop. Unlike the TriFold, which has three screens, the two folds of this device come in the form of a keyboard and foldable screen. By default, it is a normal laptop, but if we unfold the screen it is like putting another 13-inch panel on top. Useful, very useful, especially for programming. In addition, the unfolded screen is not excessively thick, so the laptop, at least in theory, should not weigh more than necessary, although it will be heavier than normal.

So far the normal. Now let’s go with the most peculiar concepts. The first is a folding console. This device, which is clearly reminiscent of a Nintendo Switch, has a Fold-type folding panel that, at least in theory, seeks to make a portable console even more portable. The concept is interesting and I can imagine a console like this in a few years, although perhaps the price would be higher than the 400-550 euros that we are used to seeing.

The second is a controller with a central screen. Central touch panels are not new, see Sony’s DualShock and DualSense, but adding a screen opens up a whole range of possibilities. That screen could be part of the HUD, offer actions, provide contextual information or serve to interact with the game in some way through gestures or quick touches. Very curious, it is one of those ideas that I wouldn’t be surprised to see implemented sooner rather than later.

Nice necklace. But the concept that takes the cake is the necklace. It is, like everything else, a concept, but the idea is curious. What if, in the same way that you can change the watchface of your necklace, you could change the image of your necklace? The device is big, huge, something that is normal if we want the screen to have some prominence. In a few years will we see a diamond necklace with a GIF of a diamond spinning around? I have no proof, but I have no doubt either.

Space for Micro-LED. Samsung has also taken the opportunity to show some advances in Micro-LED, a technology called to be the Holy Grail of panels: OLED blacks, LCD brightness, without degradation or bloombing. The problem is that they are very expensive because their manufacturing is extremely complex. At the moment, we have only seen them on televisions whose prices exceed an average Spanish salary, but Samsung already seems to be working on bringing them to smaller formats. The key, of course, is the excellent color reproduction and brightness, which, in this case, amounts to 7,000 nits.

Be that as it may, what is clear is that we are heading to a world full of screens where there were previously printed canvases. Samsung wants to be there and has been giving us advances for some time. The concepts are just that, concepts, more a show of strength of what they are capable of achieving in their ovens, but if the TriFold is on the market today, who knows if in a few years we will see a laptop with a folding screen or a huge necklace with a screen?

Images | Xataka

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