Flexible OLED Displays Set for Big Market Growth in 2014, Samsung Leading Charge

We've been hearing about flexible display technology for a long time now, but it's yet to really penetrate the market in any kind of significant way. Eventually that's going to change, and according to IHS, Samsung will lead the charge when it introduces its first flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products later this year.

"The buzz about flexible displays has been growing louder, ever since Samsung Display demonstrated its Youm line of bendable OLED products at the Consumer Electronics Show in January," said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of mobile and emerging displays and technology at IHS. "Samsung is expected to begin shipping its first flexible OLED display—a 5-inch screen—in the second half of this year."

Flexible OLED

Demand for elastic displays is expected to grow by more than a factor of four next year, with sales reaching $94.8 million, up from $21.9 million in 2013, IHS says

Samsung's first generation flexible display will likely employ a non-glass substrate with superior thinness and nearly unbreakable ruggedness. The downside to these types of displays is that they can't bend or roll up like a newspaper. IHS says it won't be until after 2016 that flexible displays evolve into rollable and foldable OLED screens.