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LG 'G Flex' phone with flexible 6-inch display rumored for unveiling next month
Been wondering what LG was doing with that flexible display technology it showed off at SID? Apparently it was working on the G Flex, a 6-inch smartphone with a curved screen. The typically innominate "person familiar with the company's launch plans" told CNET the device will be announced in November, providing the outlet with a low resolution sketch of a curved yet rigid smartphone design. This meshes quite well with the prototype display we saw earlier this summer, which trumpeted the durability of its plastic construction (which it demoed by hitting the panel with a mallet) over its ability to bend. The prototype display is also said to be cheaper to manufacture and lighter than traditional screens, both of which bode well for the end user. Still, the word "curved" seems to have been chosen carefully -- it's probable that this device will mirror Samsung's rumored smartphone and will be an artistically bent handset rather than a flexible one. The official announcement isn't due until next month, but we've reached out to LG for a comment, just in case.
Hands-on with LG's 5-inch flexible plastic OLED display at SID (video)
You can't blame us for rushing to see LG's flexible OLED HD panel here at SID. First announced earlier this week, the 5-inch display sports a plastic construction, which allows it to be both bendable and unbreakable. Most alluring of all, though, is LG's intimation that the screen tech will debut in a smartphone by the end of this year. Before we get lost in thoughts about a tricked-out Optimus G, let's take a look at this early prototype. The panel is made of plastic substrates, which are both more flexible and cheaper to manufacture than their glass counterparts. In fact, cost-effectiveness seems to be the chief objective overall. Clumsy consumers will benefit as well -- in a smartphone, the glass above the screen could break, but the OLED panel would stay in tact, resulting in lower repair costs. At the company's booth, a demo area let attendees take a hammer to the standalone display and twist it every which way -- sure enough, it withstood these torture tests. In our hands, the 5-inch screen was lightweight and responsive to twists and bends; it felt like a thick film strip. An LG rep told us the panel could sport a bigger or smaller size when it debuts in a smartphone later this year. And though the prototype on display here today was labeled merely as "HD," we're sure that resolution could be adjusted as well. For now, get an early look in our video after the break.%Gallery-188996%
