Samsung Electronics succeeded in internalizing foldable glass technology, which was commercialized for the first time in the world by Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. However, the successful internalization by Samsung Electronics is expected to change the supply chain. Samsung Electronics applied its own foldable glass to the recently released foldable smartphone 'Galaxy Z Flip 3'.
Characterized by its foldable and unfoldable ultra-thin shape, this glass is called 'Foldable Thin Glass' (FTG). The FTG was developed by the Global Technology Center (GTC), which researches Samsung Electronics' CE/IM manufacturing technology. It is known that Corning, a U.S. company, supplies the glass for raw material, and Econy a domestic display parts maker, conducts thin processing (slimming) of Corning's glass. The processed FTG is cut and coated at a factory in Vietnam, and finally mounted on a foldable smartphone.
This is the first time that Samsung Electronics has developed its own foldable glass. In the meantime, Samsung Display has supplied foldable glass. Last year, Samsung Display commercialized the world's first foldable glass called 'Ultra Thin Glass' (UTG) and applied it to the foldable smartphone 'Galaxy Z Flip' released by Samsung Electronics in the same year.
Samsung Display UTG is made from German Schott’s glass with special processing by Dowooinsys in Korea. The largest shareholder of Dowooinsys is Samsung Display, which made an investment to exclusively utilize Dowooinsys’ technology and secured a stake of more than 50%. With the effect of commercializing the world's first and only foldable glass, Samsung Display succeeded in exclusively supplying not only the Galaxy Z Flip series but also the Galaxy Fold to Samsung Electronics' foldable smartphones. However, with Samsung Electronics' internalization of foldable glass, changes in the supply chain have become inevitable.
Reporter Gun-il Yoon (benyun@etnews.com) Reporter Hee-seok Yoon (pioneer@etnews.com)