LG Display working on foldable OLED

The display will initially be supplied to Apple, Google and Microsoft.

As rumors of Samsung's upcoming foldable display have heated up, South Korea's Electronics Times reports that LG Display has a plan of its own for a similar technology. The latter is reportedly working with Google and Apple on developing a foldable OLED display that will be supplied to those companies along with Microsoft. Electronic Times previously reported that Samsung would come out with its first foldable phone in 2017, but that product would have two distinct screens. It would serve as a way for Samsung to test the market to see what demand is like for a foldable display that would be launched in a later product.

Samsung and LG Display are the leading producers of OLED displays. Since the former is mostly interested in using foldable displays in its own products first, LG Display may have sought out large third-party companies as a way to gain an edge in the market. While the latter has made some reputable smartphones, its position in the mobile electronics market is not nearly big as Samsung's. Getting its displays into products from Apple, Google and Microsoft would be a big opportunity for LG Display.

This is, however, largely speculative at the moment. Foldable OLED displays have a long way to go before making it to market. Several companies are working on a similar technology now. China companies are in the race as well. Lenovo and Oppo have both showed off prototypes of foldable displays in the past.

Most China manufacturers have stuck to LCDs because the displays are much cheaper and China consumers are typically more price-sensitive. As a result, China manufacturers tend not to be as mature in OLED manufacturing. With China's big tech giants investing in foldable displays, though, that might start to change. Getting a quality product to market first is still key and there is still no sign of how long that might take.