Flexible and bezel-less: Smartphone makers prep next-gen displays

After emphasizing display size and definition in the past, smartphone manufacturers are thinking out of the box to appeal to consumers, aided by the latest display technology developments. According to the latest rumors, Oppo will soon launch a unique “bezel-less” smartphone, while Samsung has plans to unveil entirely flexible devices by 2016. Oppo, a brand previously known for the thinness of its smartphones, could cause quite a stir this year with its latest device, which appears to have an edge-to-edge display. Unofficial images circulating on the Chinese social network Weibo show a device that seems to have no bezel. In 2014, the Chinese manufacturer filed a patent for a design that creates the illusion of the absence of a border of any kind around the screen, although there is actually a thin bezel. Oppo is not the first brand to eliminate unnecessary borders. The Sharp Aquos Crystal, released in Japan and the US in 2014, also has an LCD screen with virtually no bezel. Towards flexible smartphones Meanwhile, Samsung has high hopes for flexible displays, according to a report from BusinessKorea. The South Korean manufacturer is said to have already perfected the technology and to be planning the launch of its first fully flexible device in 2016. Samsung revealed its flexible plastic screen prototypes as early as CES 2011 and has since presented Youm, its flexible and unbreakable mobile device project. The flexible technology could eventually come to tablets as well as smartphones, putting an end to cracked displays. Taking things a step further, Samsung and its rival LG are even developing transparent versions of their flexible screen prototypes. Flexible devices would be the logical successors to curved-screen models, which began to make their debut in 2013 with the Samsung Round and the LG G Flex. AFP