Samsung introduces hybrid display that can be folded and moved at the same time

Samsung Display will showcase its latest hybrid display design at the CES 2023 exhibition, which is accessible by invitation only and starts on January 4th. The display, aptly named “Flex Hybrid,” features simultaneous slide and fold capabilities. Samsung claims the display is a prototype for upcoming laptops, although it may see use on the company’s tablets as well. There is a foldable design on the left side of the Flex Hybrid, and a sliding technique on the right side. Users can choose between the 12.4-inch screen, which is larger and has a 16:10 aspect ratio, and the 10.5-inch screen, which has a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The larger sliding display, which Samsung unveiled back in September at Intel Innovation 2022, will appear alongside this folding and sliding screen. This screen has a form factor that expands from 13 or 14 inches to 17.3 inches. Both the Flex Slidable Duet, which grows in two directions, and the Flex Slidable Solo, which expands in one direction, are exhibited for this larger folding umbrella.

Samsung’s Flex Hybrid Display
Photo credit: Samsung Display

Samsung hasn’t provided an expected release date for the flex hybrid display. We haven’t seen any actual products using this type of screen, although TCL also presents a similar screen concept in 2020, which combined a foldable and a rollable display in one. While these concepts are interesting to see, it is not clear if they will be commercially successful. While these specialized displays can make it difficult to manufacture devices at scale, laptop manufacturers are gradually overcoming these obstacles.

The South Korean display panel maker also announced the launch of its 2023 QD OLED display panel models. Samsung Display’s QD OLED panels are larger OLED panels intended for TVs and monitors. Red and green colors are also rendered using a blue emission layer that runs across a quantum dot conversion layer. The company intends to introduce 77-inch, 65-inch, 55-inch and 34-inch models, as well as a 49-inch variant for ultra-wide monitors.

To increase the brightness of the screens, Samsung offers Display claims to have used a new algorithm called IntelliSense AI and new organic materials for the emissive layer. According to the manufacturer, these panels can achieve brightness levels in excess of 2,000 nits while using 25 percent less power than previous models.

A new digital cockpit design from the South Korean tech giant will also be unveiled, combining a 34-inch panel with a 15.6-inch monitor. In addition, the company will demonstrate its efforts to reuse glass and reduce production-related greenhouse gas emissions.