Samsung’s Next Smartphone Might Have a Self-Healing Screen

Category: Technology/Innovations

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. emerge / ɪˈmɚʤ / (v) – to come up or appear
    Example:

    Rumors about the new smartphone’s design emerged after teasers were released.


  2. patent / ˈpætn̩t / (n) – a right given to an individual or organization to create and sell a product
    Example:

    The company’s patent for curved smartphones will expire in five years.


  3. smudge / smʌʤ / (n) – a mark or stain
    Example:

    My glass has lipstick smudges.


  4. speculate / ˈspɛkjəˌleɪt / (v) – to form ideas or guesses about something without enough information
    Example:

    Fans speculate that the new device will be released next month.


  5. graze / greɪz / (v) – to produce a mark by rubbing against something
    Example:

    I scolded the children after they grazed my car with coins.


Article

Read the text below.

Samsung might release a smartphone with a screen that has self-healing technology, according to reports.


The reports emerged after the South Korean tech company filed a patent on a scratch-and-smudge-proof material with a self-healing property. The patent, granted by the World Intellectual Property Organization, describes that the components found in the material will enable smartphones and tablets to heal themselves from scrapes and scratches.


However, the patent did not disclose further details on how the material’s components would heal a device’s surface.


In addition to having self-healing properties, the material will also be fingerprint-resistant and flexible. This flexibility will be ideal and useful in a foldable device.


Because of the given information, fans speculate that the self-healing technology will be available on Samsung’s upcoming foldable smartphone, which is rumored to be the Galaxy X. This model is expected to be released sometime in 2019.


The tech giant has not yet confirmed when the scratch-and-smudge-proof material will be available on its devices, but many suspect that the Samsung Galaxy S10 model will be equipped with the technology.


Samsung is not the first company to make use of self-healing technology. In 2013, electronics giant LG launched the G Flex, a smartphone with a scratch-proof technology. However, the self-healing property only applied to the smartphone’s back panel and not to the screen.


YouTube personality Marques [MAHRKuhs] Brownlee tested the abilities of G Flex’s self-healing coating by grazing the back of the phone with a set of keys and a knife. His experiment revealed that the marks did not completely heal and that the coating just made the marks almost invisible to the eye.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Would you purchase a smartphone with self-healing properties? Why or why not?
• What other devices do you think would benefit from a self-healing technology? Explain.

Discussion B

• Why is it important for technology companies to continuously enhance their products?
• In your opinion, what specific mobile features should be enhanced in the future? Explain.