Apple seems to be working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again of Samsung errors when starting iPhone Fold. A new report says the company is considering using a new integrated screen protector with exceptional surface hardness and scratch resistance.
It follows an earlier report about another move Apple is said to be making to maximize the durability of the upcoming…
The problem with foldable phones
Foldable phones bring a whole new set of sensitivities to internal and external damage. These weaknesses include:
- The crease where the screen folds
- The rest of the screen is ultra-thin glass
- Hinge mechanism
- Ribbon cables connecting the two sides
Notable among them is the risk of dust and other debris getting trapped between the two sides of the screen when the phone is folded, leading to cracks, while foldable screens are also more prone to breaking when the device is dropped. This was one of several issues with the infamously disastrous launch of the original Samsung Galaxy Fold.
A report earlier this week suggested that Apple would introduce new button layouts in order to reduce the risk of damage to ribbon cables during folding. Now a new one says the company is paying equal attention to the durability of the display surface.
How Apple can protect the screen
Foldable screens require the use of what is known as ultra-thin glass (UTG). As the name suggests, this flexible material is significantly more vulnerable than regular phone screens when it comes to physical impact and impact damage, such as the device falls even when folded.
The elections reports that Apple is currently considering using a much stronger built-in screen protector than the one used on Samsung’s foldable devices. Samsung uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film as a built-in screen protector, but Apple is said to be considering supplementing this with an additional protective layer known as polyimide (PI) film.
According to multiple industry sources, Apple is reportedly considering both PET film and transparent PI film as protective materials for the UTG of its foldable products. […]
Apple’s consideration of transparent PI film as a protective layer over UTG, unlike Samsung Electronics, appears to be a differentiation strategy. An industry insider explained, “Transparent PI film is more expensive than PET film, but its higher surface hardness makes it more scratch-resistant.”
Samsung, meanwhile, is adding more folds.
Photo from Yue Ma IN Remove the spray
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