Corning and Samsung team up for hardened curved OLED glass

If you’re a fan of the curved screen display Samsung’s showcased on the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, there’s good news in a new industry partnership. The phone manufacturer is teaming up with Corning, makers of the super-strong Gorilla Glass, to bring a brand-new substrate to the market. Lotus Glass is specifically designed for curved screens on organic light-emitting diode displays, which Samsung has been favoring for its mid-range and high-end smartphones for the last eighteen months.

So what’s so great about Lotus Glass? First of all, it can be curved to a much higher degree than standard tempered glass before cracking, allowing for a more dramatic curve in fixed screens. Considering that the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus both employ a screen curve that so subtle you need a little enhanced marketing to notice it most of the time, this should help make for some more striking phone designs. Lotus Glass is isn’t exclusive to OLED or AMOLED displays, but it is reformulated to allow for higher resolution and greater DPI in screens while maintaining strength and flexibility.

Samsung seems intent on continuing its curved screen designs. The Galaxy S Advance is the third model in as many years with a curved display, and the first in Samsung’s primary Galaxy family. The jury’s still out on how much utility a curvy display adds – aside from a more natural feel in your hand and when talking, there aren’t a lot of pros or cons when it comes to the aesthetic choice. While it’s possible that the Samsung-Corning partnership could lead to a curved design for the delayed Galaxy S III, we haven’t seen any hard evidence pointing towards this.