LG to demo 5-inch OLED flexible display, world’s first Full HD 7-inch tablet panel

LG announced it would showcase a 5-inch OLED flexible screen at SID this week, along with the world’s first full HD 7-inch LCD display.

There’s a serious rivalry going on in Korea over the leadership in the booming OLED business. While Samsung, through its daughter company Samsung Display, makes a vast majority of the OLED displays sold today, LG Display is coming hard from behind and makes its own claims of industry leadership.

LG has recently launched the world’s first curved OLED TVs, and is said to be working to deliver the first mass produced flexible OLED screens ahead of its crosstown rival, Samsung. But up until now, only Samsung has demoed working flexible OLED displays, branded Youm, and even some neat prototypes based on Youm, like those shown on stage at CES in January.

LG Display is about to introduce its first flexible panel at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) Display Week trade show in Vancouver. Visitors to the event will get to see a 5-inch OLED flexible screen, apparently mounted on a smartphone that is due for release later this year. LG’s official press release doesn’t offer, however, any details on this device or on the flexible panel.

Along with the new OLED bendable display, LG announced a couple of noteworthy developments in LCD technology as well. The Korean company will show a 5-inch panel based on the Oxide TFT technology with a bezel that is just one millimeter wide, allowing for the manufacturing of virtually borderless phones. Also, LG teased an upcoming 7-inch tablet with Full HD resolution and over 300ppi pixel density, which would be a world first.

Product demoes and prototypes are exciting, but what we really want are commercial products coming to the market. When should we expect them? Rumor has it that LG might actually beat Samsung to market with a flexible OLED device this year. As for the new 5-inch and 7-inch LCD panels, we hope we’ll see them in products by the end of 2013.

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Curved 55-inch OLED TV and 5-inch plastic OLED panels on exhibit

Seoul, Korea (May 20, 2013) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading innovator of display technologies, will showcase the latest TV, mobile, and other products representing the future of display technology at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) Display Week 2013. Underscoring its leadership in OLED technology, the company will introduce both a curved 55-inch OLED TV and a 5-inch plastic OLED panel. Also exhibited will be mobile panels applied with Oxide Thin Film Transistor (TFT) which is viewed as the next generation TFT technology.

“Recent trends indicate that the small- and medium-sized display market is moving towards high resolution and low power consumption, and the large panel market to OLED and Ultra HD,” said Dr. Sang-Deok Yeo, CTO and Executive Vice President of LG Display. “With the resulting rapid need for new display advancements, LG Display, at the forefront of these trends, is well positioned to lead the market with its differentiated and cutting-edge technologies.”

Industry Leadership in OLED

LG Display will demonstrate its industry leadership in OLED technology by showcasing a curved 55-inch OLED TV, as well as its award-winning standard 55-inch OLED TV at SID 2013. Based on the same WRGB OLED technology as the standard set, now widely adopted as the most effective OLED application for large-sized panels, the new curved 55-inch OLED TV offers a glimpse into the future of TV design.

In addition, for the first time to the public, the company will unveil an unbreakable and flexible 5- inch plastic OLED panel for mobile devices. The development comes at a crucial time when smart devices are being used more than ever and at increased risk for damage from drops, hits, and other accidents.

Next Generation TFT LCD Method

LG Display will also introduce 5-inch and 7-inch HD LCD panels based on Oxide TFT, seen as the next generation TFT technology as it offers high investment efficiency in producing thin, high transparency, and low power consumption displays. LG Display, which utilized this technology in its large-sized OLED displays for the first time in the world, will expand its expertise to LCD panel development thereby leading the market.
The 5-inch HD panel will feature 1.0mm bezel allowing production of borderless smartphones that are lightweight and emit significantly less heat. The 7-inch HD LCD panel is equipped with touch function-embedded technology enabling superior touch functionality in thin and lightweight mobile products.

Superior High Resolution for Monitors and Tablets

LG Display, which was first to introduce an 84-inch Ultra HD TV, now advances the high-definition trend further with the world’s first Ultra HD panel for 23.8-inch monitors. In addition, the company will showcase a 14-inch Quadruple HD (2,560X1,440) panel for laptops, and the world’s first 7-inch Full HD panel for tablets that exceeds 300 pixels per inch (PPI).

Other Innovative Advancements on Exhibit

LG Display will also present a new type of LCD which can depict the highest level of color reproduction ratio for implementation across various industries. Products, on exhibit, applying this technology include a transparent 47-inch LCD panel for refrigerators featuring a 15% increase in transparency while maintaining NTSC 72% or the same as generic HDTVs, a 12.3-inch Full HD LCD panel for automotive dashboards with 800nit high brightness and 85% color reproduction ratio, and a 24-inch Adobe RGB monitor panel for professionals with 100% color reproduction ratio.

The company will also spotlight it’s commitment to heightened design standards based on borderless technology with a 5-inch HD LCD panel for smartphones with 1.0mm bezel, as well as products boasting the world’s most narrow bezels including a 13.3-inch Full HD LCD Neo Edge panel for laptops with 1.5mm bezel, a 23.8-inch Full HD LCD Neo Blade panel for monitors with 3.5mm bezel, and a 55-inch LCD panel for video walls with 5.3mm bezel.

SID Display Week 2013

SID Display Week 2013 will be held in Vancouver, Canada from May 19 to 24. LG Display’s products will be showcased at Booth #1012, and allow visitors to experience the latest offerings from the world’s leading display company.

In addition to product exhibits, LG Display will also present its distinguished technology with 17 major dissertations on a variety of display topics. Also, Dr. In-Byung Kang, Senior Vice President and Lead Laboratory Chief of LG Display, will be recognized with a special achievement award for his work in FPR 3D and IPS LCD technology.

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