Samsung could use carbon fiber in the next flagship phones

Samsung and the Germany-based company SGL Group have started a strategic partnership for carbon fiber material development. In the new joint venture each company will have an equal 50% share of the business. With this move, Samsung is going to secure a steady flow of materials, which could be incorporated into consumer electronics and in the automotive products, blades, pressure vessels and other products. Despite the fact that the Smartphone industry has not been specified in the announcement, we expect carbon fiber materials to be largely used in the near future.

Samsung has used much plastic in the smartphone devices to date. Even in company’s latest flagship model – the Samsung Galaxy S4, plastic materials dominate, for which the company was highly criticized by many people. Choosing the plastic has its positives. First, the products are cheaper and affordable and second – they are easier to produce in a timely manner and as we know – the supply issue could be lead to business troubles.

At the same time, Samsung faces a big competition in the high-end segment. HTC One was launched with an attractive aluminum body, which forces Samsung to consider a future replacement of the plastic with metal in the upcoming handsets. Maybe because of the design decision, the Galaxy S4 demand was lower than expected though it is still the best selling high-end Android device on the market.

Actually, some products with metal bodies have already been launched. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is already available in some countries and according to unconfirmed sources the next Galaxy Note 3 will also have a metal case. With the new partnership, Samsung could use even more metal in future products. The joint venture with SGL Group could bring some other design improvements and better build devices.

Source: sglgroup