As a mobile tech expert for CNET, I’ve experienced many foldable screens on phones and tablets over the past few years, including some that even bend and twist, but the new concept at Samsung Display’s CES 2025 booth is something I’ve never seen before — a stretchable screen.
This isn’t an elastic-like screen that you can pull apart like a rubber band. Instead, Samsung Display’s concept bulges from the center to form what looks like a dome. It’s just a concept, so there’s no telling whether it will end up in a tangible product. That all depends on whether Samsung Display’s clients and partners decide to adopt the technology and incorporate it into products.
Still, it at least provides a glimpse at what’s possible, hinting at what we could see in future wearables and car infotainment systems.
Read more: Samsung’s Micro LED Smartwatch Concept Is the Brightest Screen I’ve Seen on a Watch
Watch this: Samsung Shows a Wild Stretchable Display and the Brightest Smartwatch Screen I’ve Ever Seen
The company showcased two examples of its stretchable display: one showing the Sphere venue in Las Vegas and another of a shark swimming toward the viewer with an animation that made it look like it was about to burst through the glass.
It was hard to see the 3D effect at first glance. But once I got closer, I noticed the Sphere began to pop out from the screen slightly, giving the environment more depth than it would have had otherwise. In the shark example, the display’s movement made the scene seem more dramatic. The display’s movement was most noticeable when viewing it from the side, where you can easily see the profile of the screen’s bulge.
You can really see the bulge when viewing the screen from an angle.
While the company couldn’t say whether this stretchable display would ever make it into a product for sale, a representative at the booth provided some hypothetical examples of where tech like this could make sense, such as in wearables or car dashboards. Imagine having 3D maps in your car’s navigation system, or an interactive 3D watch face on your smartwatch? Based on the demo, the technology seems most suitable for animations and user interface flourishes.
If the technology ever were to make it into a consumer device, I’d be curious about whether the screen’s stretchable nature would raise any durability concerns. When the display is in its bulged state, for example, I’d wonder whether it would be more susceptible to damage from impact — an important question if this tech were ever to arrive in something like a car or a watch in the future.
Samsung Display is known for showing eye-catching concepts at CES, but none of the ones shown in recent years have made it into actual products. Last year, for example, Samsung Display showcased a phone resembling the Galaxy Z Flip that can bend in both directions. It’s also shown foldable mobile devices that can bend in multiple places like an accordion.
Samsung hasn’t released a new style of foldable since it debuted the Galaxy Z Flip in 2020, while rival Huawei introduced its first foldable phone with two hinges last year. But it’s important to remember that Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are separate entities. Just because Samsung Display developed a specific technology doesn’t mean Samsung is considering implementing it into new products.
It’s impossible to know whether we’ll ever see consumer devices with a stretchable screen. But like Samsung Display’s other concepts, it’s still a compelling look at what’s possible.
CES 2025: The 15 New Products and Ideas Grabbing Our Attention So Far
For more coverage of CES 2025, learn which new products from the tradeshow you can purchase right now, or check out what all the robots are up to at CES this year.