Hasta La Gadget!

The folks over at LG Display seem to be on to a new groove, where they have just announced that they will begin to mass produce the first flexible OLED panel in the world, targeting the smartphone segment, of course. This is a state-of-the-art display panel which will represent yet another milestone that will continue in the company’s commercial footsteps where they too, were the first to introduce the first 55-inch OLED TV display in the world sometime earlier this year. LG Display has placed a positive spin on the future of the flexible display market, where they do hope that this particular market segment will be able to grow quickly since this technology is tipped to expand even further into a range of other applications including displays, tablets and wearable devices.

With this move, it does seem as though LG Display intends to gain an early lead in the flexible display market, and we cannot wait to see what other new products will they reveal next year that will arrive with enhanced performance as well as differentiated designs. Just how does LG Display’s flexible OLED panel become possible? Well, it has been built on plastic substrates instead of relying on the traditional material, which is glass. Through the application of film-type encapsulation technology as well as attaching the protection film to the back of the panel, LG Display has ensured that the panel ends up as bendable and unbreakable. Now that is definitely some food for thought, don’t you think so?

The new display will vertically concave from top to bottom where it carries a radius of 700mm, which would open up a world of design innovations in the smartphone market. Not only that, it will also measure a mere 0.44mm thin, which would make this particular offering from LG Display as the world’s slimmest flexible OLED panel in its class, too. Apart from that, there is another feather in its cap, which would mean it is the world’s lightest as it tips the sclaes at just 7.2 grams even when it features a 6″ display. I guess this advancement from the folks over at LG Display can only mean one thing – the advent of flexible display smartphones are just on the horizon, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.
[ LG Display to mass produce flexible OLED panel for smartphones soon copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

You can’t blame us for rushing to see LG’s flexible OLED HD panel here at SID. First announced earlier this week, the 5-inch display sports a plastic construction, which allows it to be both bendable and unbreakable. Most alluring of all, though, is LG’s intimation that the screen tech will debut in a smartphone by the end of this year. Before we get lost in thoughts about a tricked-out Optimus G, let’s take a look at this early prototype.

The panel is made of plastic substrates, which are both more flexible and cheaper to manufacture than their glass counterparts. In fact, cost-effectiveness seems to be the chief objective overall. Clumsy consumers will benefit as well — in a smartphone, the glass above the screen could break, but the OLED panel would stay in tact, resulting in lower repair costs. At the company’s booth, a demo area let attendees take a hammer to the standalone display and twist it every which way — sure enough, it withstood these torture tests. In our hands, the 5-inch screen was lightweight and responsive to twists and bends; it felt like a thick film strip.

An LG rep told us the panel could sport a bigger or smaller size when it debuts in a smartphone later this year. And though the prototype on display here today was labeled merely as “HD,” we’re sure that resolution could be adjusted as well. For now, get an early look in our video after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, LG

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According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, LG is planning to launch a flexible OLED smartphone before the end of 2013. More »