Exploring Samsung's Secret Display Lab: The Ultimate Bet on Future Phone Forms

The End of the Screen Is Not Folding, but Disappearing

Not long ago, CNET reporters gained access to Samsung's display headquarters in Yongin, South Korea — a secret lab usually closed to the media. There, they saw several future phone concepts Samsung is developing: a smartphone with a rollable screen, a "sliding screen" that extends additional display area from the side, and a nearly transparent display panel. These concepts are not sci-fi props, but technical prototypes that Samsung's display division is actively pushing toward mass production.

The screen is the core interaction interface of a smartphone, and the hardware component that users perceive most strongly. From LCD to OLED, from notch screens to foldable screens, every evolution of screen form has redefined the possibilities of the phone. The concepts displayed in Samsung's display lab seem to hint at an even more radical future: the boundaries of physical screens are being broken, and smartphones will no longer be a fixed-shape "slab."

Rollable Screen: The Ultimate Form of Foldable?

Samsung is the absolute leader in the foldable screen market, with its Galaxy Z Fold/Z Flip series already iterating to the fifth generation. But foldable screens are not without pain points: screen creases, hinge durability, thick and heavy bodies — these issues still exist. Rollable screens are seen as an evolution of foldable screens. Samsung's prototype can use a motor to expand the screen from about 5 inches to over 7 inches, and when retracted, it returns to the size of a normal phone without folding.

From a technical perspective, rollable screens demand higher durability from flexible OLEDs — the screen needs to repeatedly remain flat while in a rolled state, while also bearing tensile stress. Samsung Display has been continuously investing in R&D since 2019, and now the roll radius has been reduced to below 3mm, while issues with foreign object intrusion and pixel cracking have been resolved. According to industry insiders, Samsung could launch its first rollable phone as early as 2025, possibly under the Galaxy Z series.

The Fusion of Transparent Screens and AR Interaction

Another eye-catching concept in the lab is the transparent display panel. When the screen is not emitting light, it is like a piece of glass, allowing you to see objects behind it; when lit, information or images appear suspended in the air. This technology is not new — Samsung showcased transparent OLEDs as early as 2015, but they were mostly used for commercial signage. Now, with the proliferation of augmented reality (AR) and AI assistants, transparent screens have been given new value — they may become a transitional form between phones and AR glasses.Imagine when an AI assistant (such as Samsung Bixby or Google Gemini) needs to display navigation information—a transparent screen can present arrows and text without obstructing your view. Or during a video call, a transparent screen can make the other person's face "float" against the real-world background, enabling a more immersive conversation. Samsung believes the key challenge for transparent screens lies in improving light transmittance while maintaining display brightness and color accuracy. Currently, its prototype product achieves a transmittance of over 40%, while commercial products typically need to reach over 60% for users to barely notice the screen's existence.

Samsung's "Display+" Strategy: From Hardware Supplier to Experience Definer

These concepts are not just technology demonstrations—they are core tools for Samsung to differentiate itself in a saturated smartphone market. Samsung Display is the world's largest supplier of small- and medium-sized OLED panels, with clients including almost all major phone brands such as Apple, Google, and Xiaomi. However, the competitive relationship between Samsung's own Galaxy line and its customers is increasingly delicate. By exclusively owning certain revolutionary display technologies (such as rollable screens), Samsung can create unique selling points for its own phones while charging higher licensing fees from other clients.

The deeper strategy lies in that screens are evolving from "components" to "interaction portals." As AI large models and voice assistants leap in capability, user interaction with phones is shifting from "clicking" to "conversation" and "gestures." Flexible form factors can automatically change shape based on usage scenarios: shrink for calls, expand for video, transparent for navigation. This requires display technology to be deeply integrated with sensors, algorithms, and AI agents. Samsung Display Lab is developing "Pixel-Sensing" technology, which enables the screen to detect touch pressure, hover gestures, and even the user's gaze direction at any location—without adding extra cameras.

Competitive Landscape: Apple, Huawei, and the Supply Chain Game

Samsung is not the only player betting on future screen forms. Apple has always been cautious about foldables, but supply chain sources indicate that Apple is developing a 20.3-inch foldable device (possibly an iPad) and plans to launch a foldable iPhone in 2026. Huawei, on the other hand, showcased another approach with its "tri-fold" concept, the Mate XT, using dual hinges to achieve an even larger screen. However, Samsung's advantage lies in its vertically integrated supply chain capabilities: from panel manufacturing to driver chips to module packaging, Samsung can handle mass production on its own.

But challenges also exist. Yield issues with rollable screens drive up costs—estimates suggest the first rollable phone may cost over $2,000. Moreover, whether consumers truly need variable-form screens remains questionable—surveys show that the acceptance of foldable screens is still below expectations. Samsung may need to educate the market again, just as it did when it promoted the large-screen Galaxy Note series.## The Long-Term Perspective of Technological Revolution: The Ultimate Form of the Screen Is to "Disappear"

If we trace the history of display technology, from CRT to plasma, LCD, and then OLED, screens have been getting thinner, more flexible, and more power-efficient. The concepts in Samsung's laboratories point to an ultimate direction: the screen will no longer be an independent physical component but will blend into the surrounding environment. The future phone might just be a "magic wand" that projects a virtual screen when needed and disappears completely when not. This depends on breakthroughs in microLED, holographic projection, and spatial computing technologies. Samsung Display is also investing in microLED, but it will take another 5-10 years for it to truly mature.

During this period, rollable and transparent screens will be important transitional forms. They make the interaction between humans and information more natural and also provide a physical carrier for AI agents. When AI can predict user intent and proactively present information, the form of the screen must be dynamically adaptable—this is the logic behind those "crazy" concepts in Samsung's secret labs.

This opening of Samsung Display's lab is essentially a technology manifesto: even if the smartphone market stops growing, display technology still has enormous room for innovation. And whoever seizes the lead in this screen revolution will define the entry point to digital life for the next decade.

*(This article is based on CNET video reports and publicly available industry information.)*