Flexible LG OLED Display Could Be Beaten To Market By Samsung Galaxy Round

LG Display says it will start mass production of an “unbreakable” six-inch OLED display for smartphones imminently, but could be beaten to market by Korean rival Samsung, which is reportedly preparing its own flexible handset.

The LG panel is built on plastic substrates instead of glass and by applying film encapsulation technology and attaching protection film to the rear of the display, it becomes bendable. It is curved from top to bottom, and is just 0.44mm thin and 7.2g heavy, making it the thinnest and lightest OLED display to date.

LG says the new panel will open up a world of possibilities in terms of smartphone design and hopes it will allow it to establish itself as a leader in flexible display market, which is estimated to be worth more than $10 billion by 2019.

LG OLED battle

“LG Display is launching a new era of flexible displays for smartphones with its industry-leading technology,” said Sang Deog Yeo, executive vice president and CTO 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 is enjoying something of a mobile renaissance at present, chiefly thanks to the success of the LG Nexus 4, but reports from its native Korea suggest Samsung could be the first manufacturer to launch a flexible smartphone, expected to be called the Samsung Galaxy Round. The Samsung screen is apparently a 5.7 inch OLED, and it is expected tofeature in a phone similar to the Galaxy Note 3

Earlier this year, the South Korean offices of Samsung were reportedly raided by police amid allegations that OLED technology from LG had made its way into its rival possession through partners, while the previous July, six LG Display employees were reportedly charged over theft of OLED technology from Samsung, although LG contends that the information was widely known and wasn’t considered to contain trade secrets.

What do you know about the smartphones of 2013? Try our quiz!