The key to its endurance is a flexible design with an unbreakable substrate and an overlay window that adheres "securely" to the panel. There have been flexible displays on the market for years (the Apple Watch uses one, for example), but they tend to use glass covers that partly defeat the point -- what good is an intact display if there's cracked glass on top? Theoretically, this could lead to truly shatter-resistant phones.

And then there's the matter of when Samsung or its display customers will actually use the technology. Samsung will offer its panel for use in devices like phones, cars, game consoles, tablets and "mobile military devices," but that's contingent on both Samsung itself and partners lining up. Don't bet on the Galaxy Note 9 definitely having an extra-tough screen, then. This may be a long-term play rather than a hint at Samsung's near future.