LG vice president of mobile Yoon Bu-hyun recently told the Wall Street Journal that his company would be launching a smartphone featuring a flexible OLED display later this year. Specifically, the handset will reach consumers during the fourth quarter but he came up short with any other details.
Odds are that we won't see a smartphone with a freely bendable display as other components like the case, battery and processor would prevent that. Instead, LG is much more likely to produce a handset with a curved display similar to the Samsung prototype that was on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.
That device featured a display that wrapped around the edge of a phone. Samsung said it was designed to allow users to quickly read a text message or stock ticker from the side without having to pull the handset out for a front-on view.
At the time, Samsung senior vice president of display Brian Berkeley said he believed flexible displays would begin to change how people interact with handheld devices and could open up new lifestyle possibilities.
We've been hearing about next generation flexible OLED displays for quite some time now but the reality is, noting has come to market yet. That's because it's incredibly difficult to manufacture flexible screens. Even now, production yields are still pretty low so it'll be interesting to see if LG can keep their promise of a fourth quarter flexible OLED smartphone.