Various reports in the past week or so have pointed to growing demand for Samsung’s newly released Galaxy S6 Edge. However, the handset’s curved display is an expensive and difficult component to produce, which has led to some production shortages. Yesterday, the company was said to have opened up another production facility to help pump out the displays and Korea’s ET News now reports that Samsung is trialling a new glass production method to help increase yields and reduce costs.
According to the source, Samsung’s current production technique results in low yields and high costs, due to micro wrinkles that appear when the glass is heated, which is required to bend it around the curved display. Samsung has apparently changed glass cover production over to a new method at a factory in Vietnam. The new technique only heats up one side of the glass and therefore reduces the imperfections and saves on expensive polishing costs.
More about the Galaxy S6 Edge:
- Galaxy S6 Edge demand leads Samsung to open third factory for screen production
- Korea report: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge sales surpass expectations
- Samsung boss says Galaxy S6 Edge availability will be limited “for a while”
Turning to an IHS report released last month, the Galaxy S6 Edge’s display is by far the most expensive component in the smartphone, costing Samsung around $85 to produce. The new process is said to cut costs in half and could increase production capacity by somewhere between 60 and 70 percent. This could save Samsung a considerable cost per unit and should help reduce the current supply shortage.
At this point, it isn’t known when Samsung will be switching over to the new production method at its other factories or if these savings will result in a lower S6 Edge price for consumers.