It Is Likely That LGD Will Supply Displays To Global Businesses
LG Display is mass-producing foldable display products. It decided to supply its foldable display products to a global business in the U.S. and started its preparation to produce them. It seems that a generation of ‘foldable Smartphone’ is coming as there is a rumor in industry that Samsung Electronics is also planning to release foldable Smartphones in next year.
According to many people in the industry, LG Display had developed foldable display product and is preparing to invest into facilities. It is likely its first customer will be a global software (SW) business, and this business’s goal is to challenge Samsung Electronics’ and Apple’s strongholds in high-end Smartphone market with foldable Smartphones. Although this company also examined Samsung Display’s products, it decided to go with LG Display’s products. Currently it is concretizing product’s concept, planning of investment in facilities, and others with LG Display, but has not yet decided on timing to mass-produce foldable display products.
LG Display decided to split the cost of investment, which costs hundreds of million dollars and will be used for facilities, in half with this company and is planning to produce this foldable display product at OLED factory in Gumi, Kyeongbuk. There was a time in last July when LG Display announced that it will invest $900 million (1.05 trillion KRW) to build flexible OLED line at Gumi Factory.
LG Display has developed plastic board material along with touch-panel material and others that can maintain their performances even they are folded and unfolded more than 100,000 times. A person that is associated with LG Display said that it cannot let public know about development and supply of new products that are associated with its customers.
It is known that Samsung Electronics will release foldable Smartphones in January of 2016, and the global business that receives products from LG Display is also planning to release its products at the similar time.
“Many businesses including Samsung Electronics will release foldable products in next year. Release of foldable Smartphones will create new demands in display market, which its growth is currently stagnant, and present new paradigm.” said a person in the industry.
According to market investigative business called HIS, importance of foldable display will rapidly increase from 0% in this year to 24.4% in 2016 and take up about more than half of flexible display in 2020.
Staff Reporter Sung, Hyeonhee | sunghh@etnews.com