LG Officially Confirms They Are Mass Producing Flexible Displays for Smartphones

[dgstorm]

Over the last couple of weeks we have had a huge build-up of rumors regarding the flexible screen displays supposedly coming from both LG and Samsung. LG was the first to fire a shot of confirmation today by sending out an official press release on the subject. LG is already mass producing a plastic-based 6-inch display. It will be only 0.44 millimeters thick and weigh 7.2 grams, which will likely make it the world’s lightest OLED display.

It has been supposedly confirmed separately by Reuters that LG's first device with the new tech will come sometime in November, and will be called the LG G Flex which confirms previous rumors. Here's the full presser below,

LG Display Mass-Produce World’s First Flexible OLED Panel for Smartphones

LG Display brings innovation to the smartphone market with cutting-edge panel

Seoul, Korea (Oct. 7, 2013) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, today announced that it will start mass-production of the world’s first flexible OLED panel for smartphones. This state-of-the-art panel represents another milestone following the company’s commercial rollout of the world’s first 55-inch OLED TV display earlier this year.

“LG Display is launching a new era of flexible displays for smartphones with its industry-leading technology,” said Dr. Sang Deog Yeo, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of LG Display. “The flexible display market is expected to grow quickly as this technology is expected to expand further into diverse applications including automotive displays, tablets and wearable devices. Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year.”

LG Display’s flexible OLED panel is built on plastic substrates instead of glass. By applying film-type encapsulation technology and attaching the protection film to the back of the panel, LG Display made the panel bendable and unbreakable. The new display is vertically concave from top to bottom with a radius of 700mm, opening up a world of design innovations in the smartphone market. And only 0.44mm thin, LG Display’s flexible OLED panel is the world’s slimmest among existing mobile device panels. What’s more, it is also the world’s lightest, weighing a mere 7.2g even with a 6-inch screen, the largest among current smartphone OLED displays.

In March 2012 LG Display developed the world’s first 6-inch Electronic Paper Display (EPD) based on e-ink which utilizes a plastic backplane. Having previously showcased the world’s first curved 55-inch OLED TV panel at CES 2013, today’s announcement highlights the company’s leading position in advanced flexible display technologies.

According to research firm IHS Display Bank, the global flexible display industry will see dramatic growth and become a USD 1.5 billion market by 2016, exceeding USD 10 billion by 2019. LG Display plans to advance flexible display technologies and bring innovation to consumers’ daily lives with the introduction of rollable and foldable displays in various sizes.

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About LG Display

LG Display Co., Ltd. [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220] is a leading manufacturer and supplier of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels, OLEDs and flexible displays. The company provides TFT-LCD panels in a wide range of sizes and specifications for use in TVs, monitors, notebook PCs, mobile products and other various applications. LG Display currently operates nine fabrication facilities and seven back-end assembly facilities in Korea, China, Poland, and Mexico. The company has a total of 56,000 employees operating worldwide. For more news and information about LG Display, please visit LG Display Newsroom.

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any of them in light of new information or future events. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Additional information as to factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements can be found in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

[FoxKat]

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around these flexible displays (pun intended). They can create curved glass displays so the only benefits I see to flexible displays (other than weight), are perhaps they're being scratch resistant (though I would think they'd be more prone to scratches) and shatter-proof (though a good dent will stay there indefinitely). Where I can see the flexible display really shine (pun intended again), is in a display that can fold or roll out and be larger when needed, yet can collapse to a smaller form when portability is an issue.

The prototype shown earlier with a wrap-around display (running over the face's sides and down the edges), seemed more novelty and not really effective. Yes, it could be an area for touch-sensitivity and status displays, but then how would you hold the phone? The sides are needed to hold it, otherwise you'd have to Velcro it to your palm or arm. Don't get me wrong...this IS an advance in technology, and I'm sure that the ways it will be used will be mind-blowing, but I can't conceptualize those mind-blowing purposes ATM. Where I do believe it shows benefit is in the shatter-proof area, but unless you have a flexible Capacitance Touch overlay, the Digitizer is going to be glass, and you still run the risk if it shattering. Furthermore, the plastic display itself - if somehow incorporated with touch sensitiveness and left exposed to the elements will be far more susceptible to damage from scratches and wear than the glass is now. Unless they are able to come up with "Gorilla Plastic", I don't find it all that alluring.