Samsung today unveiled a new 12.4-inch rollable OLED display during the annual Display Week in Los Angeles. Rollable prototypes have appeared several times in the past. The Samsung concept is a step ahead of the competition, however, as it is the largest panel to date that can be rolled into a tiny roll.
The panel covers a range from 49 to 254.4 mm, which corresponds to a scalability factor of five. Current sliding panels can only be extended up to three times their original size. According to Samsung Display, this was achieved by using an O-shaped axis that mimics a scroll axis. The company calls the technology Rollable Flex.
In addition to the Rollable Flex, Samsung has shown a Flex In & Out OLED display that you can bend in both directions. The current technology, like in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4, you can only fold in one direction.
Last but not least, the Korean tech giant also unveiled the world’s first OLED display with an integrated fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor. Current implementations are based on a relatively small sensor area. Samsung’s solution, on the other hand, relies on a panel that can be unlocked by touching it anywhere on the screen surface. The light-sensitive organic photodiode (OPD) is embedded in the panel itself. The technology can also detect blood pressure, heart rate and stress levels by monitoring the contraction and relaxation of blood vessels.
What is really exciting is which devices we will see the new displays in first. In other words, the question of whether the new panels are too late for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and the Galaxy Z Flip5. We already saw rumors on the subject earlier this year, as well as a Flex Hybrid OLED display.
