AGC creates high-durability flexible glass we could soon see in folding phones

Japanese manufacturer Asahi Glass (AGC) has created a new flexible glass that could be used in future folding smartphones. The news arrives from OLED-Info (via SID) which says chemically strengthened 0.07 mm glass will be discussed further at Display Week 2018 in May.

A number of smartphone manufacturers are tipped to launch smartphones with folding displays in the coming years—Samsung (responsible for this 2014 folding phone teaser, also seen at the top) being chief among them. However, the company’s Mobile boss DJ Koh has said concerns over durability may hold a release back.

Asahi Glass, which develops Corning Gorilla Glass competitor Dragontrail, claims its glass has a bending stress of more than 1200 megapascals (MPa), which is “equivalent to durability with a curvature radius of lower than 2.5mm.” Asahi Glass is also said to have achieved “80% higher impact-failure resistance” when compared to similar chemically strengthened glass—so it seems to be far ahead of the competition right now.

When it will be available in a commercial capacity remains to be seen, but it’s nonetheless a positive development for folding phones, and could help bring them a step closer to fruition.