LG now mass-producing curved 6-inch smartphone display

[Shawn Knight]

LG Electronics has confirmed after months of speculation that flexible displays have now entered mass production. Specifically, the company’s display unit announced a 6-inch display made of plastic that is bendable and unbreakable according to a report from Reuters.

Sources close to the project say LG is planning to launch a smartphone with a curved display next month to keep pace with rival Samsung. Last month, Samsung said they would unveil a smartphone with a curved display in October. Their phone is expected to feature a display curved side to side while LG’s device will be curved top to bottom, sources claim.

Specifications show the display will weigh in at 7.2g and measures just 0.44mm thick. Many believe the device in question is the rumored LG G Flex which is expected to be a top-tier phone carrying a Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 graphics.

When the phone does launch – whatever name it takes – expect it to be in extremely short supply. Yields of curved displays are said to be extremely low. For example, LG will be doing good to turn out just 300,000 units per month. If the handset proves to be popular, that could be a serious issue.

When you consider Apple sold 9 million iPhones during opening weekend last month, it would take LG more than three months just to turn out a million phones at the current production rate. Do the math and well, it’d take a really long time to turn out that many devices.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/54254-lg-now-mass-producing-curved-6-inch-smartphone-display.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

Interesting how it is unbreakable.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

When you consider Apple sold 9 million iPhones during opening weekend last month, it would take LG more than three months just to turn out a million phones at the current production rate. Do the math and well, it?d take a really long time to turn out that many devices.

LG isn't Apple. I doubt there will be lines around the block for an LG phone. And it would only take them three months to make a million if they don't improve anything. I'll bet they make some changes.

 

[Guest]

I feel like I read LG was planning to release a curved display a while ago, before Samsung? Almost a year ago they said they would release a curved display before the end of the year... didn't they? I'd search Startpage but I have to leave.

 

[soldier1969]

I bet people feel jipped that just upgraded to the LG G2 phone that released last month after hearing this news...

 

[insect]

But why? What advantage does curved have over flat?

 

[Tekkaraiden]

An unbreakable screen would be great for anyone needing a rugged phone.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

insect,
My exact thoughts. What is the purpose of a curved display? My first impression is that a curved display would be a negative for me. Who wants to watch movies like that with a portion of the screen bent at an angle that isn't directly facing your field of vision? I think this is another one of those technological gadgets where you ask yourself why they made it and the only answer I can come up with is "because they could".
I, for one, will not be standing in line to get one.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

An unbreakable screen would be great for anyone needing a rugged phone.

I am also not making the connection of unbreakable glass with curved. Why does it have to be curved glass to be unbreakable? Can't they use the same material in a regular flat-surface phone? It's funny, we started with curved television sets and then flat-screens came along and it was all the rage. Everybody wants a flat-screen.
So we started with flat-screen smart phones and now your gonna tell me everybody wants a curved-screen smart phone? LOL. Props to the marketing geniuses out there. They could sell ice cubes to eskimos.

I'll file this idea under the same file I have filed Windows 8 under. The "C" folder for catastrophe and cross-index it with the "U" file for useless(at least from my perspective). But I am sure there are 3 people out there who can't wait to get one.

 

[ViperSniper2]

Interesting how it is unbreakable.

It will be using Corning's Willow Glass. A new flexible glass developed for the future. It's actually manufactured in rolls. Which are then cut to size as an overlay on touchscreens. But is it really "Unbreakable"? Hardly.... we should be hearing that at least these fixed screen devices with Willow Glass are "Break Resistant". The only true unbreakable touchscreen coming will be Samsung's YOUM screens with a single atom thickness of Graphene bonded to the embedded touch digitizer AMOLED screen on both sides.

This will be the smartphone to beat in the future. But from what we're hearing, although Samsung will most likely announce theirs first, it too will still have Willow Glass over the top. If this is true I wonder why they've shown their screens being hit with Hammers and dropped from extreme heights. But..... again only time will tell and lots of people like to hate on Samsung these days for some reason! .....again though, Willow Glass isn't exactly "Unbreakable" like Samsung's YOUM Graphene Screen Technology!

 

[Bubbajim]

The only interesting suggestion I've read somewhere for curved screens is that if the screen can wrap around the edges of a display you're suddenly opening up the possibility of whole new set ups for side-buttons and control configurations that wouldn't rely on you poking where you're meant to be looking. But that doesn't seem all that magical to me, especially as there wouldn't be any (word of the week) haptic feedback from the button presses. We shall see ...

 

[Guest]

The only exciting aspect of this technology for cell phones is it being unbreakable. However, when it comes smart watches and other wearable tech, this could be an amazing breakthrough.

 

[ViperSniper2]

An unbreakable screen would be great for anyone needing a rugged phone.

I am also not making the connection of unbreakable glass with curved. Why does it have to be curved glass to be unbreakable? Can't they use the same material in a regular flat-surface phone? It's funny, we started with curved television sets and then flat-screens came along and it was all the rage. Everybody wants a flat-screen.
So we started with flat-screen smart phones and now your gonna tell me everybody wants a curved-screen smart phone? LOL. Props to the marketing geniuses out there. They could sell ice cubes to eskimos.

I'll file this idea under the same file I have filed Windows 8 under. The "C" folder for catastrophe and cross-index it with the "U" file for useless(at least from my perspective). But I am sure there are 3 people out there who can't wait to get one.

LG is most likely taking the same technology they're using in large HDTV's curved screens and using it in mobiles. But what gets me is that I don't think LG's flexible screens are using Samsung's Graphene layers to make the screens unbreakable. They are using Corning Willow Glass to claim they are unbreakable. Yet Willow Glass is not completely unbreakable and is only break and scratch resistant like Gorilla glass, only more so.

But we probably won't see true unbreakable flexible screens until Samsung starts using YOUM screens in truly flexible devices, instead of having a Willow Glass layer over the top. Samsung has shown flexible YOUM screens being beat with hammers. Unless you can do that with Willow Glass too..... that unbreakable moniker for LG's screens will become Break Resistant!

For wearable tech a flexible digitizer will pose addition problems being in accuracy of touch points!!!