Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is the first foldable phone to feature a glass display and soon, we might see more foldable devices adopting this technology. Samsung Display has announced that it is the first in the industry to commercialise Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG), which could find its way in other devices too. The UTG glass measures just 30 micrometres in thickness and was made in collaboration with manufacturer Dowoo Insys.
“With our existing polyimide cover window, development of the new extremely flexible UTG cover window ‘Samsung UTG’ now enables us to meet more demanding customer needs,” said Dennis Choi, Vice President of the mobile display marketing team at Samsung Display.
Samsung has branded its UTG glass with the tag line “tough, yet tender.” According to a statement by Samsung Display, Samsung Display had signed up Bureau Veritas, the International certification agency in France to test the durability of the glass. UTG glass has claimed to have passed 200,000 fold tests successfully. Samsung Display has also filed for a trademark protection of ‘Samsung Ultra-thin Glass’ in 38 countries including the US and China.
The UTG glass is claimed to be produced “using an intensifying process to enhance its flexibility and durability.” Samsung Display adds that in this process, the UTG is “injected with a special material up to an undisclosed depth to achieve a consistent hardness.”
Samsung’s UTG glass is just the first step in strengthening the durability of foldable screens. Like any new tech, it still needs a lot of refining as in its current state, it’s nowhere close to being as resilient to scratches such as the more commonly used options that we have to, like from Corning. The company revealed that it has been working with another South Korean company since 2013 to commercialise the technology.`