A Reuters report is fueling rumors that the next Galaxy phone from Samsung could have an “unbreakable” display. Rumors already predict the Galaxy S IV will have a larger display than the Galaxy S III, as well as a quad-core processor, 13 Megapixel camera, and better screen resolution.
Reuters quotes a UBS analyst as stating Samsung will likely release the Galaxy S IV in the first half of 2013, and perhaps as soon as April. The analyst also believes that Samsung’s production of “unbreakable plastic substrate displays” has improved enough that they will be a feature of the new flagship smartphone. Samsung’s best smartphones are already quite resilient, thanks to the arduous tests the manufacturer uses to vet its handsets.
There are also rumors that Samsung will deploy flexible or foldable screens by 2014. Samsung has invested heavily in OLED displays, which use plastics instead of glass. As far back as the Consumer Electronics Show in 2011, Samsung has been able to demonstrate AMOLED screens that are flexible. One year ago, Samsung had announced plans to release phones with flexible displays “as early as 2012.” The Korean tech company isn’t likely to release any new, unannounced phones in December, so the analyst prediction for the Galaxy S IV seem to be a safe one.
Apple’s successor to the iPhone 5, rumored to be the iPhone 5S, has also been predicted to have a mid-2013 launch window. Earlier this year rumors also surfaced that Apple was looking into purchasing flexible OLED screens from Samsung.