LG Planning First Flexible OLED Smartphone Display For Q4 2013

The first LG flexible OLED display for smartphones will debut in Q4 2013.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the new flexible OLED display is curved and shatter proof. The hope is that the new display will save devices from damage when they have been dropped by their users. The flexible display technology could also lead to advances in smartphone technology and other forms of wearable tech.

This is hardly the first time LG has revealed flexible display technology. During the 2008 SID Conference, LG officials revealed a prototype display that output at 320×240 pixels of resolution. The flexible display revealed in 2008 was meant to be used with wrist mounted smart devices and various other applications.

LG took to CES 2013 this year to reveal its first curved OLED TV, a television that is expected to go on-sale before the end of the year. LG claims that the 55-inch TV offers a more immersive viewing experience. LG claims that curved displays reduce screen-edge visual distortion when viewed straight on. I had a chance to check out the curved LG OLED technology at CES, and a short period of viewing appears to confirm LG’s assertions.

With Google, Apple, Samsung, and other tech manufacturers working on flexible screen technologies, it appears that the future of display technology may focus on flexible outputs.

LG didn’t speak about its plans for flexible displays during its recent Q1 conference call, instead focusing on what it plans to do about a 91 percent plunge in its net profits.