Foldable phones are now looking more like the future of the smartphone, if both the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X are anything to go by. But it’s important to note that their displays have polymer over them instead of glass. But rather than use plastic polymer, Gorilla Glass maker, Corning, is looking to stick to the status quo of scratch-proof glass.
Wired reports that the company is looking to make a hybrid of its rollable Willow Glass and its Gorilla Glass. The latter now a name that’s near-synonymous with phones. The challenge here is making glass that can fold, but still be strong enough to resist breakage, usually brought about by sudden drops or pressure applications.
John Bayne, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corning, was quoted saying, “We can give them one or the other; the key is to give them both.” That said, he expects that foldable glass will be ready for the masses when foldable phones hit the mainstream.
On that note, Corning says that it could take the company a couple of years before it has a fully functioning foldable glass display. With any luck, we might just see the display in action on Apple’s supposed foldable iPhone.
(Source: Wired)
