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Royole's FlexPai 2 5G foldable phone costs under $1,500
Royole FlexPai 2 is available for pre-ordering via Royole’s website and JD.com, starting from just under $1,500.
LG Display invests $1.75 billion for flexible OLED demand
The South Korean-based LG Display announced it will be investing $1.75 billion in an attempt to meet the growing demand for flexible OLED displays, which are expected to replace LCDs for smartphones and other similar tech in the future.
LG bets big on flexible displays for cars and phones
More and more smartphones, TVs and wearables like Apple's Watch now use OLED displays, but only two companies mass produce them -- Samsung and LG. LG is trying to stay on top of demand by building a new 1.05 trillion won ($900 million) flexible OLED plant in Korea. Starting in 2017, the 6th-gen line will spit out four times as many screens as the current-gen plant thanks to a larger "substrate" sheet size. The plastic-based displays are aimed at smaller next-gen devices that can benefit from the bendability like automotive displays, cellphones and wearables.
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%
Sony quits OLED TV in the consumer market, we quietly shelve hopes for the XEL-2
Hope you're in the mood to pour one out, because the Daily Yomiuri Online has just confirmed that Sony is giving up the OLED TV in its consumer business. According to the report, it has discontinued production of OLED TV sets for the mainstream market, and while it'll continue selling 'em to its corporate clients, it'll concentrate the home-use TV portion on LCD models. For historians in attendance, they'll no doubt (fondly) recall the XEL-1 -- a devilishly thin personal OLED TV that never stood a chance at filling anything other than a luxury niche. The same sect will also remember that it discontinued OLED TV sales domestically back in 2010, but exports to America and Europe continued up until now. The real question? Whether or not those rollable OLEDs are still getting researched in a Sony lab; the futurist in us can only pray so.
NHK's flexible OLED is both literally and figuratively green (video)
When it's not pushing Super Hi-Vision, the hopeful 7,680 x 4,320 successor to HD, NHK also dabbles in small, flexible OLED panels. The Japanese public broadcaster recently showed off a 5-inch prototype display that, while bearing a heavy green tint and very noticeable rows of dead pixels, was still a significant improvement over a similar screen it demoed in 2009. Sure, it's not quite as flexible or vibrant as Sony's rollable OLED from last year, but it does seem to suffer from fewer bad pixels -- an important step towards maturation. Don't miss the video after the break which offers some pretty nifty glimpses at a number of bendable OLEDs. It's clear the tech is still a little wet behind the ears, but we're definitely getting closer to a future populated with TVs that roll up for storage and e-readers that fold like a paperback.
Taiwan subsidizes development for Delta's glasses-free 3D projector and AUO's flexible AMOLED
You know the Taiwanese are pretty serious about technology when you see them liberally throwing cash at factories. According to DigiTimes, Delta Electronics and AUO are two recent winners for a shared NT$600 million (US$19.6 million) government grant, which will cover 45% of each of their research expenditure -- so probably not a fifty-fifty split. If all goes well, Delta will bring out glasses-free, wide-angle 3D projection that's enabled by using multiple high-res LED beamers; whereas AUO will take advantage of the recent AMOLED shortage and develop high-res flexible panels. Nice going, folks, just don't let us catch you all partying on the factory floor with that money.
Universal Display ships eight wrist-worn OLED displays to military, too late to help Noble Team
We had a little fun with Universal Display Corporation's flexible OLED display at CES a few years back, ruggedized and militarized and destined for Army wrists of the future. Little did we know that future would be so close. The company has just confirmed that it has delivered eight of the 4.3-inch, 320 x 240 screens to the US Army for "military evaluation and testing" and, while it doesn't sound like there's a specific purpose in mind at the moment, we're pretty sure they'll come up with something to do with them. We know we sure would. Update: We got a new picture of the current version above, and a second picture below of it being tortured on the rack.
TDK flexes its transparent OLED muscles with CEATEC demonstrations
Finally a bit of competition to pep up the transparent OLED market. Samsung and LG seem to have had this party all to themselves until now, but TDK is stepping in with a 2-inch passive matrix screen and a humble QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Sure, those aren't groundbreaking specs, but a claimed 50 percent transmittance -- meaning that half of what's behind the screen can be seen through it -- beats its Korean competitors rather handily. Another prototype being shown off by the company is a 3.5-inch flexible OLED panel that redefines thinness with a slinky 0.3mm profile. It's made using a resin substrate and covers an unimpressive 256 x 54 pixels at the moment, but again, that's just how good things get started: with small steps of awesome. We'll keep an eye out for both of these as we prowl the halls of CEATEC 2010.
ModisTech to commercialize cheap, flexible OLED lighting this year
It's far from the only one working on flexible OLED lighting, but it looks like ModisTech could be among the first to actually bring something to market, as its now announced that it will begin commercialization of its 150 x 150mm flexible OLED panels this year (seemingly ahead of its original 2011 schedule). Those will apparently be used for various indirect lighting applications including desk lamps and car lighting, and promise to provide a more natural light than LEDs while maintaining some of the same power savings. Still no word on any actual products using the OLED panels, unfortunately, but they will supposedly be inexpensive for companies to adopt (and very cheap to manufacture).
Please hammer, don't hurt Samsung's flexible OLED prototype (video)
Surely by now you've seen pictures or videos of flexible OLEDs -- many from Samsung. Did you ever wonder just how durable the things are? The video after the break should answer that question. In it, one of the Hammer Bros. from the Super Mario games, apparently frustrated about Polyphony Digital's endless delays, is attempting to destroy a screen looping a Gran Turismo 5 clip. A traditional LCD shatters like so much porcelain, while the 2.8-inch, 20 micrometer thick OLED display is completely unaffected, even when folded. Impressive, and apparently just the thing to wear when exploring the Mushroom Kingdom.
Video: Samsung's e-passport turns your head into a rotating government specimen
Samsung (and your local government) hasn't been shy with its plans for electrifying passports. Yet we still haven't seen video of its e-passport with flexible OLED display in action, 'till now. The 2-inch, 240x320 AMOLED displays a disembodied, rotating head in 260k colors and 10k:1 contrast when activated by an RF source reader. No details were provided as to when these might enter production but we have the icky feeling it'll be sooner than we want.[Via OLED-Info]
New mass-production technique for flexible OLEDs could make them cheap
Getting tired of flexible OLED prototypes that are about as ready for retail as that cold fusion reactor your uncle Harry is building in his garage? Yeah, we are too, but it seems the industry is getting a little closer to reality, the latest step coming courtesy of Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center and Universal Display. Researchers at the pair have managed to produce flexible OLED displays using the same production techniques used to create standard, rather less bendy LCD displays, enabling the transistors that control the pixels to be applied to plastic, rather than the glass they typically find themselves embedded within. They glue a piece of plastic onto glass, feed it through the LCD manufacturing process, then peel the two apart like a high-tech Fruit Roll-Up. That technique was used to create the 4.1-inch monochrome display shown above -- which is for now just another prototype that won't be showing up in any devices any time soon. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Technology Review]
Samsung shows off latest, biggest, bendiest AMOLED prototype
Today the flexible OLED is still a very rare thing, usually confined to dark corners of exhibitors booths at trade shows or grainy photos from some research facility. Sadly that doesn't look to change anytime in the immediate future, but Samsung is at least still making progress with the tech, demonstrating a new 6.5-inch flexible prototype at SID 2009 in San Antonio. It's bigger than the earlier examples we've seen from the company, and apparently a little bendier too, but beyond those juicy facts -- and knowing that it can display scenes from The Sound of Music -- we don't know a thing about it.
Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype
Make no mistake, wrapping your mind around the build of an OLED panel is mighty tough to do. Without getting you mired in technobabble, let's just say that indium tin oxide (ITO) has generally been a mainstay in every single OLED that was produced commercially. Now, a team of researchers from AGFA-Gevaert, IMEC, Holst Centre and Philips have prototyped a 12- x 12-centimeter flexible OLED lighting panel that swaps out the ITO for highly-conductive transparent resin electrodes. You see, it's been difficult for OLED builders to secure enough electrical conductivity of ITO in a low-temperature process, and this new methodology is perfectly suited for the coating method (which makes it ripe for printing). The resin itself is being dubbed Orgacon, and tests have shown it to have a 6x improvement over ITO in terms of electrical conductivity. Beyond that, the crews are keeping the secrets safe from the poachers of the world, but here's hoping this amounts to more than just jovial celebration in a far off laboratory.[Via OLED-Display]
Modistech unveils flexible, ultrathin OLED light in Korea
We just heard that the OLED market was set to skyrocket in 2011, but don't tell Modistech. Said outfit has just revealed its own flexible, ultrathin OLED light module in South Korea, which honestly looks eerily similar to Samsung's "flapping" OLED panels from last fall. Details are pretty scant right now, but we're told to expect mass production within the next year, with public availability penciled in for -- you guessed it -- 2011. Hit the read link for a few more delightful looks.[Via OLED-Display]
Sony shows off flexible OLED Walkman concepts on video
Looks like Sony Insider caught some footage of those flexible OLED Walkmans in action during a CES promo video hidden away in the booth. Looks like a pretty sweet riff on the Cover Flow-esque interface that's due to arrive on the NWZ-X1000, but there's not much else to go on -- let's hope Sony's spending more time getting the X1000 ready to leave that impenetrable glass housing than it is mocking up videos of fantasy tech. Video after the break!
Samsung shows off OLED display collection at CES
OLED displays were out in full force this year, with Samsung bringing plenty of its own to showcase to CES onlookers. We already had a chance to check out a snazzy folding OLED late last week, but CNET was able to capture a few more for good measure. The most notable were the 3.3-inch "3D" AMOLED display (with a WQVGA resolution) and the 7.01-inch AMOLED panel, which was seen sporting a 1,024 x 600 resolution and a 30,000:1 contrast ratio. Flip through the gallery below for a few more looks, but don't get your hopes up too high for any near-term release dates.[Via OLED-Display]
Sony's flexible OLED mockups
Sony hasn't gotten very far along with these units -- they're really just plastic shells -- but we like we're they're headed with it. They showed off a full-screen laptop (pictured), bendable e-reader, and Walkman bracelet concepts, all based around flexible OLED technology and built with "flexible bioplastics," along with the flexible display that going to power them all when they hit the market... in the year 2000.%Gallery-41877%
Wrist-worn flexible OLED prototype is for the military, but kids like it too
Flexible OLED displays are becoming more and more commonplace (and festive), despite not actually being available in any devices you can buy just yet. When that day finally comes, Universal Display Corporation thinks one of those gadgets will be something like the above: a wearable, flexible, 4-inch prototype screen that CES attendees will be able to check out and maybe even try on -- albeit uncomfortably. It's been developed with military applications in mind (they always get the cool stuff first), but bendy consumer devices are naturally envisioned as well. There's no word on when we'll start seeing them in passports or flexi-phones, but we're thinking we have a while to wait yet.[Warning: PDF link; via OLED-DISPLAY.net]
