The words in the names of consumer electronics products usually have several meanings. Judging from the classic Apple-style naming, the early Air and Pro are simple distinctions of functional attributes. Up to the current iPhone, digital, Pro, and Pro Max are differentiated positioning.
This rule can also be established in Apple’s M-series chips. Even if the user is not a consumer electronics expert, relying on this basic rule, he can identify the product positioning at once.
In the non-Apple camp, each manufacturer also had a set of naming rules earlier, and the subsequent application is actually more inclined to express the unique attributes of the product.
Among them, Samsung has always liked to create some new suffixes, directly expressing unique attributes. Like Note, Edge, Flip, and Flod, almost every word accurately summarizes the characteristics of the product.
However, with the change of “tomorrow’s trend”, some products come and go, and eventually they are gradually replaced. Note and Edge are an example.
Samsung: Curved screens are not the best solution
About two years ago, Samsung classified the Note product line into the S series, created an Ultra, and still kept the S-Pen. And Edge, literally translated as “edge”, refers to extending the display area (screen) to the edge.
Samsung’s earliest product, the Galaxy Note Edge, made the screen into an exaggerated arc that extends to the middle frame. At that time, Note Edge was also like Fold a few years ago, as an “easter egg” at the press conference, and of course it was somewhat similar to one more thing.
The Edge has also gradually expanded to the S series and Note series, and curved screens have also become an attribute of Samsung products until now.
▲ Apple iPhone 6 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. (Source: Flickr/Kārlis Dambrāns CC BY 2.0)
At the same time, curved screens have also become a unified element of the Android camp from flagship to mid-range products, and the novelty of curved screens has also rapidly diminished. On the contrary, the curved screen does not protect the screen enough, the edge is prone to chromatic aberration, and the disadvantages such as incomplete display are also magnified.
Just like OLED screens and LCD screens in the past, straight screens and curved screens have also become a dispute between two factions of fans.
In the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung designers made a small change, reducing the curvature of the S22U, leaving only a slight curve on the side of the screen. If you look at the operating area, the screen of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is almost a “straight screen”.
▲ Galaxy S23 Ultra. (Soruce: Dazhi Video)
After the release, Samsung revealed to 9to5Google that compared to the previous version, the arc on both sides of the Galaxy S23 Ultra has been reduced by 30%, and the straight screen area has increased by 3%. The visual changes are very obvious. The viewing area and the working area of the S-Pen are almost all straight screens. When writing and drawing, they will no longer be disturbed by the curved screen. However, this method also has a disadvantage, that is, the border appears thicker and has less visual impact.
In 9to5Google’s view, Samsung’s approach is a bit backwards, but the practicality has increased, and it is closer to the iPhone’s straight-screen concept.
From the perspective of the screen alone, the straight screen shape has greater advantages, but the curved screen is more advantageous in design. They are more like a spear and shield in the design product, and it may be difficult to have an optimal solution.
Surfaces and curves are no longer cool
The reason why Samsung likes to bend the screen is that it basically wants to take advantage of the flexibility of the AMOLED screen.
When Edge was born, or in the process of curved screens gradually becoming a feature of high-end products, it was also the era when OLED materials and LCD materials competed. Determined that OLED panels are the future of Samsung, the focus is not only on product forms that can keep up with the trend, but also the idea of promoting OLED screens.
From Edge to subsequent products, large-curvature screens better demonstrate the advantages of flexible screens. In addition, with the full screen and the pursuit of the ultimate chin, the OLED material has gradually become the mainstream.
In the past few years, Samsung’s mobile phone screen panel shipments and market share have far exceeded 50%, and it is significantly ahead of the second and third place BOE and LG. With the OLED screen, multi-curved body and extremely narrow chin, the product at that time was very attractive and full of unique design sense.
The famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi once said that straight lines belong to humans and curved lines belong to God. The prevalence of curved screens and the use of a large number of curves on the back make related products look cool.
Not only Samsung, but Apple is also good at using curved body and curved screen from iPhone 6 to iPhone 11. But relatively speaking, no matter how it is bent, the operation and display areas are still facing straight. Until the iPhone 12, Apple bid farewell to the curved surface and returned to the straightforwardness of the iPhone 4 period.
During the iPhone 6 to iPhone 7 period, the iPhone mainly wanted to adopt the unibody style, and the aluminum alloy back was similar to the MacBook Air in one-piece molding. Later, in order to be compatible with wireless charging, it returned to the sandwich structure. The double glass body also brought about the problem of insufficient body strength. Apple’s solution is to remove excessive elements, and the aluminum alloy/stainless steel frame protects the screen and the back.
In addition, the ultra-ceramic screen technology that appeared on the iPhone 12 may not be easy to make a curvature, and it simply embraces the straight screen completely. Straight screens and right-angled edges have been the design language of several generations of iPhones.
As the iPhone with a very high shipment volume in the market, it seems to be leading the trend of a curved screen. The straight screen has become the iconic feature of the iPhone, and the curved screen has gradually become the standard configuration of Android. Whether it is a straight screen or a curved screen, they are no longer a screen feature that can make the market shine.
Folding and scrolling screens have gradually become new cool features
The reason why Samsung compromised on the curved screen is actually looking for the next screen trend.
Since the Note series was canceled and replaced by two folding screens, Fold and Flip, it almost implies that the foldability of the screen has also become one of the elements of cooler products.
At the same time, in MWC 2023, which is held offline for the first time in three years, The Verge said that a trend of this year’s conference is scrolling screens, and the usability has become more mature than in previous years. Simply bending the screen does not show its particularity. How to fit a larger screen into a smaller body is more likely to be the next technology development direction.
Even though folding screens and rolling screens are still inseparable from the mechanical structure, the differentiation it brings is somewhat similar to the impact that curved screens brought to the market when they were first launched.
The mobile phone market is declining, but the niche emerging market is still expanding. Moreover, there are not many manufacturers of folding screen and scrolling screen products.
There will still be many entrants in 2023. They may not expect that these products will bring much growth to their sales, but it is more like a means of promoting soft and hard power.
Just like Samsung is launching Flod and Flip products and righting them, it will become the main product to attack the iPhone in the second half of the year. In addition to demonstrating soft and hard power, another purpose is to promote its own display panel business.
Constantly innovating and making the folding screen bigger, for Samsung, it is more like a kind of control over screen technology, and it firmly grasps the trend of smartphone screen technology in its own hands.
Therefore, whether it is a straight screen, a curved screen, or a foldable screen, in Samsung, it may not matter whether it is practical or not. The important thing is to bring out the characteristics of its own technology.
(This article is reprinted with the authorization of Ai Faner; the source of the first picture: Science and Technology News)