Current smartphone screens are so bloody fragile it seems like a strong fart is enough to blow them out, but you’ll be pleased to hear those days are close to an end.
British scientists have invented a new kind of display that’s actually cheaper to make and far more durable than the one you’re using right now.
You see, current displays are made with indium tin oxide – which is really hard to extract from the ground – and covered with glass, which is why they’re so damn brittle. The new technology uses silver and graphene to make a screen that matches the performance we’re all used to, but at a fraction of the cost.
But the best part of the whole thing is that it’s flexible as hell because there’s no glass involved, so it behaves more like acrylic.
“We would still need a protective surface but it could be something far more flexible than glass,” said lead researcher Matthew Large. “As a result your smart phone screen would be far, far less likely to crack when you drop it accidentally.”
Even though they use silver to produce the flexible displays, the amount needed for each is tiny. Graphite – which is used to make graphene – is bloody plentiful, which also keeps costs low.
So there you have it, folks, you might be able to ditch that phone case sooner than you thought.