The most flexible ultra-thin glass for foldable displays and flip phones: SCHOTT introduces Xensation® Flex – the foldable glass revolution

New Xensation® Flex is ultra-thin glass (UTG) that is flexible enough to bend around one’s finger after processing and available in mass production. 

SCHOTT – a leading global UTG powerhouse since the 1990s – offers the industry’s most flexible glass, with a bending radius lower than 2 mm and thicknesses less than a human hair after processing.

Besides its outstanding flexibility, Xensation® Flex can be chemically toughened. This makes it a suitable material for flip phones, which require both flexible and strong displays. The high-transparency of Xensation® Flex makes it a premium option to create high-end user experience.

SCHOTT, the inventor of specialty glass, is pushing the boundaries of human imagination with its flexible glass line-up. The international technology group now introduces Xensation® Flex, the most flexible ultra-thin glass that is available in mass production. The new flexible cover glass product line-up offers breathtaking bending radii below 2 mm after processing and is an addition to the company’s Xensation® high-performance glass portfolio.

Before there were smartphones, there were flip phones, a legendary design concept that made the cell phone a must have device. Now, Samsung’s impressive Galaxy Z Flip has brought flexible displays to the smartphone universe, successfully revitalizing the flip phone concept for the mobile era. As premium phone makers are constantly searching for the best components – including display materials – a flexible glass offers outstanding characteristics in regards to a premium appeal. 

Dr. Feng He, Head of Global Product Mgmt. and Application of SCHOTT UTG Product: “We are supplying ultra-thin glass to Samsung now. This means our technology and high-volume production capability are in a leading position versus other glass players. We continue to improve and strengthen our ultra-thin glass offering with the official market launch of the Xensation® Flex brand.”

With Xensation® Flex, SCHOTT is now introducing the most flexible ultra-thin glass that offers high transparency and the ability to be chemically toughened. SCHOTT sustainably produces high quality glass in Germany and then shipped to processors for further processing.

Xensation® Flex: When glass becomes ULTRA

Xensation® Flex offers UTG in thicknesses less than a human hair. After processing, its bending radius below 2 millimeters makes it suitable for applications in foldable displays and paves the way for unprecedented device designs – e.g. foldable smartphones, laptops, tablets or completely new product groups.

Xensation® Flex is based on experience of more than 30 years in researching and producing a wide variety of UTG, tailor-made for several applications. SCHOTT has refined the core UTG production process known as “down draw technology”. During the down-draw process, a glass ribbon is pulled down from the top, moving across various rollers and through the cooling track. Thanks to this eco-friendly technique, glass of desired thinness is directly drawn from the melt to achieve stable thinness – with no further harmful acid etching needed.

The Xensation® brand: High performance on hand

Xensation® is SCHOTT’s glass answer to an ever-demanding consumer electronics industry. Initially invented as a rigid, high-performance cover glass, Xensation® Flex now proves that strength can also come with the ability to bend. The broad portfolio enables designs that have never been possible before or offer industry-leading features in set drop performance or strength.

Xensation® Up. - SCHOTT’s high-performance cover glass for rigid-display solutions - provides outstanding resistance against breakage, especially with regard to set drop performance. The lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) cover glass is built on a heritage of more than 130 years: SCHOTT was the first company to use LAS as a protective cover glass. Our founder, Otto Schott, was the first to document the addition of lithium to a glass mixture as part of his wide-ranging experiments that eventually led to the invention of specialty glass. LAS now provides improved strength, flexibility, and reliability for global partners.

Xensation® Up. has enabled new designs and innovations from clients, including leading smartphone manufacturers from China vivo and OPPO. vivo recently launched a series of smartphones, including NEX 3s 5G phone with a curved waterfall display, iQOO 3 5G phone, and brand new design piece X30 Pro with Alexander Wang edition and rainbow edition. OPPO just launched OPPO Smart Watch in March, 2020 with a 3D curved screen design. All of these concepts underline the market-leading capabilities of Xensation® Up. high-performance cover glass.

With deep knowledge in the smartphone market accumulated since the launch of the 1st generation in 2011, SCHOTT Xensation® is pushing the boundaries of display innovations. With Xensation® 3D, SCHOTT was the first cover glass maker worldwide to develop a protective smartphone cover based on aluminosilicate with the addition of lithium.

Now with Xensation® Up. of enhanced strength and Xensation® Flex for foldable displays, SCHOTT Xensation® provides specialty glass solutions to all available display technologies with mass production capacity. With raw glass production in Germany, Xensation® is now supplying global consumer electronics markets.

28.05.2020, SCHOTT AG