Samsung promises slimmest-ever phone LCD

Samsung Electronics has developed what it claims is the thinnest LCD (liquid crystal display) panel, just the thickness of a credit card, designed for use in mobile phones.

The screen measures 0.82 millimeters thick and, combined with a new method for attaching the panel to devices, will allow manufacturers to shave between 1.4 mm and 2.4mm off the thickness of their phones, Samsung said.

The size reduction comes partly from a new assembly technology developed by Samsung called i-Lens. Most phone screens use a piece of reinforced plastic that sits a few millimeters above the LCD to protect it. With iLens, Samsung found a way to attach a protective sheet directly onto the display in a way that also improves its shock resistance and readability.

The technique makes the display easier to read outdoors because it eliminates the reflection that occurs on the plastic sheet used in existing designs, Samsung said.

The screens will be available in 2.1 inch and 2.2 inch diagonal sizes. They offer 240 x 320-pixel resolution and 500:1 contrast ratio. Samsung expects to be mass producing them by the second half of next year.

Since the popularity of Motorola's very thin phones, including the Razr, phone makers are increasingly trying to make thinner phones. The Razr flip phone is 13.9 mm thick.