Thinner, Smaller
As the product performance of smartphones has standardized, the design of handsets has become an important factor in competition. Now, ultra-slim smartphones designed for use with just one hand are leading the market.
With a big increase in the weight of AMOLED displays, which are more suitable for realizing a slim design than LCD panels, the competition for ultra-slim smartphones led by AMOLED displays is expected to heat up.
According to industry sources on July 21, smartphone are becoming slimmer. Apple rolled out the 6.9mm thick iPhone 6 last year, which is the thinnest iPhone model, and Samsung Electronics is also increasingly releasing ultra-slim models.
On July 17, Samsung introduced the 5.9mm thick Galaxy A8, the thinnest model among the Galaxy series, to the Chinese market for the first time, starting to take pre-orders for the new handset in Korea on July 21. The new model is a full HD 5.7" AMOLED screen, symbolizing ultra-slim Samsung phones by crossing the 6mm threshold for the first time.
The Korean tech giant is strengthening its lineup of ultra-slim smartphones by launching the Galaxy A series early this year to target the entry-level smartphone market. The Galaxy A5 is 6.7 mm thick, and the Galaxy A3 is 6.9 mm thick. The Galaxy A7 is only 6.3 mm thick.
Chinese Android phone makers are also expanding the weight of ultra-slim products by advertising them as “the world's thinnest smartphones.” Gionee's Elife S5.5 and S5.1 that were released last year opened the 5 mm thick smartphone era with widths of 5.6 mm and 5.2 mm. In addition, the Chinese handset maker rolled out the Vivo X5 Max, which is only 4.75 mm thick.
If a polyimide plastic substrate-based flexible AMOLED display is used, it is possible to manufacture a smartphone that is 33 percent thinner and 50 percent lighter than one with a glass-based AMOLED screen. Hence, the value of flexible AMOLED displays in the ultra-slim smartphone market is likely to grow further.