Usually, Samsung’s regional SEA Forum event is a showcase for everything that was announced at the global CES event. This year, it was pretty much the same: we saw the new SUHD TVs, the cool Family Hub Refrigerator, and the new Galaxy TabPro S.
Things took an exciting turn when we entered the B2B hall.
The B2B (Business 2 Business, in case you were thinking of something else) hall showcases Samsung’s latest products and innovations that are tailored for its business clients. Whether it is huge, bezel-free industrial displays to heavy-duty printers, there isn’t anything that would appeal to consumers.
Except this one: a transparent OLED display.
A showcase of Samsung’s prowess in display technology, the transparent OLED display was situated at a relatively quiet corner of the huge B2B hall.
This 55-inch panel has a 45% transparency, enough to let you see what’s behind the panel. It’s also pretty sharp, with a Full HD resolution and displays 100% of Adobe’s RGB spectrum.
But all of that technical fluff goes out the window when you realise that you can actually see your hand moving behind the screen as you try to prove Samsung wrong.
In truth, these displays aren’t exactly new. Samsung also displayed mirror displays, with exceptionally high levels of reflectivity, right next to the transparent display. Then there’s also the flexible display, demonstrated by both Samsung and LG.
It’s not that these displays are impossible products from science fiction novels; it’s simply the fact that producing these panels is exceptionally expensive – for now at least.
Until Samsung or other companies find cheaper ways to produce them in scale, or when we start to demand more from our “boring” curved 8K TVs, these super awesome displays will linger on the B2B halls in conventions for the foreseeable future.
