Samsung Display is First to Meet US Military Standard for Foldable Panels

•  Samsung Display’s foldable panels have passed the MIL-STD 810G standard for durability against four extreme conditions: icing, temperature shock, transit shock and acceleration

•  The company’s technology dispels the perception that foldable displays are less durable

•  Samsung Display maintains technology leadership with more than four times as many patents published and issued in the U.S. as the next leading competitor

Samsung Display’s foldable panels have been certified as meeting four key MIL-STD 810G standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense, such as temperature shock and transit shock. Samsung Display is the first company in the display industry to meet these military standards with a foldable panel.

Samsung Display has met MIL-STD 810G standards for its 7-inch-range foldable panels, which were used in the latest foldable smartphones. MIL-STD 810G is a standard that tests how well a product can withstand various extreme environments and stressful conditions.

Samsung Display commissioned UL Solutions, a global organization in applied safety science, to test four sections of MIL-STD 810G relating to temperature, shock and other factors that may be encountered in everyday and outdoor activities.

Samsung Display’s foldable panel was successfully tested at -10°C (14°F) with a jet of water that froze into a 6 mm layer of ice that remained in place for four hours. It also underwent an additional test that measured its ability to endure extremely low and high temperatures, withstanding two hours at -32°C (-25.6°F) followed by two hours at 63°C (145.4°F). This test was repeated three times over 12 hours. 

The company also conducted extreme durability tests. The foldable panel was subjected to twenty-six drops from a height of 1.22 meters, the height at which people typically use mobile phones, with different fall directions. Furthermore, the product has been tested to ensure it can withstand extreme outdoor activities by being spun at speeds up to 10.5 times the force of gravity, similar to an astronaut training for gravity in a 360-degree spinning centrifuge. Subjecting products to a gravitational acceleration of 10.5 times is the most extreme acceleration test for aircraft or helicopter parts.

Samsung Display is the first company in the display industry to undergo such rigorous testing with a foldable panel and meet the U.S. Department of Defense military standards.  

“Passing rigorous military tests with foldable panels confirms Samsung Display’s leadership in the foldable display market, which has become the next-generation form factor,” said Cho Yong-seok, Head of Marketing for Small and Medium-sized Display Division at Samsung Display. “We look forward to seeing foldable panels used in a wider range of devices and environments, overcoming the perception that foldable displays are not durable.”

Since 2012, Samsung Display has built a strong leadership position in the foldable sector based on more than a decade of intellectual property (IP) development. Samsung Display holds more than 1,800 patents related to foldable technology (based on U.S. patent publications and issued patents), four times more than the next leading major global competitor.

▲ A prototype 'Flex In&Out™' with Samsung Display's 7.6-inch foldable panel

▲ A prototype 'Flex In&Out™' with Samsung Display's 7.6-inch foldable panel