Samsung Display is one of the industry's biggest innovators and outside-the-box thinkers. Among the wildest concepts it's been working on for years is the stretchable display. This week, at the IMID 2024 conference, Samsung demonstrated its latest-generation stretchable display, which appears to have developed further and improved since we first saw it in 2017.
Samsung's stretchable display is based on micro LED technology and has a 25% elongation characteristic. In other words, this incredible micro LED display can be stretched up to 1.25 times or twisted like a rubber, and it will return to its original shape. Check out the demo below.
As seen in Samsung's video, the company demonstrated this technology by transforming the stretchable display (roughly) into the shape of Jeju Island, where IMID 2024 takes place.
The demo looks similar to what we saw in 2017 at SID. However, back then, Samsung based its stretchable display on Dynamic AMOLED display technology rather than micro LED.
Limited applications and a long way to go
The new stretchable micro LED display looks sharper than previous generations. Samsung says it has the highest resolution compared to all other stretchable screens.
More specifically, this almost magical micro LED panel has a pixel density of 120PPI (pixels per inch). That might not sound very impressive compared to commercial mobile displays. The Galaxy S24+ has over 510PPI and even beats the Ultra model. And Samsung's OLEDoS screen for VR, unveiled in January, has 3,500ppi.
Nevertheless, the stretchable micro LED probably wouldn't be used for mobile applications or VR. And 120PPI is good enough for some monitors and TVs.
Cool factor aside, we should keep in mind that Samsung Display has been working on this technology for many years, and we've yet to see a practical application of it. The company is calling this stretchable micro LED “a next-generation display,” but that might be stretching the truth a little.
This rubber-like micro LED does indeed look next-gen at tech demos, but neither Samsung Electronics nor other brands seem to be in a rush to adopt it. Why is that?
The story continues after the video
There's no way to say for sure. One reason stretchable displays haven't become mainstream yet could be that they are too fragile for commercial products. Another reason might be that the technology is likely very expensive. And lastly, as impressive as the tech is, it's pretty difficult to think of actual useful consumer-grade applications that would justify the costs.
If you've known Samsung Display long enough, you know the company loves to show off its latest prototypes and technologies at trade shows, but most of them are a long way away from going on sale. On the other hand, many of these advanced technologies could have applications in niche fields. Much less advanced stretchable displays have been tested in medicine.
However, if you were hoping your next living room table would have a stretchable display for tabletop gaming, you should probably temper your expectations. It's probably wiser to try to appreciate the incredible level of engineering Samsung Display is capable of without thinking of buying this stuff anytime soon.
Image Credit: Samsung
