LG Display Pouring $8.5 Billion Into OLED TVs, Flexible Smartphone Displays
LG Display is banking hard on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, committing nearly $8.5 billion to producing screens based on the technology. The company expects to start mass production of the new line of displays in early 2017, at which point it will be able to pump out 7,500 sheets per month at its Gumi plant in Korea.
This is the 6th generation of LG Display’s OLED display line. There is a lot to like about the new generation, both for LG and for users, assuming the displays perform as planned. On LG Display’s side, the new plant and process will result in 4.92 x 6.07-foot sheets that can be used to create 200 5.5-inch smartphone displays. That’s a significant bump in production from older processes and will matter for LG Electronics as the device maker competes with players like Apple and Samsung.
LG OLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
LG Display uses OLED technology for everything from large TV screens to small, flexible smartphone phone screens. The technology appears in Dell’s Venue 10 7000, Acer’s new Liquid Leap+ fitness tracker wristband, and even, possibly, an upcoming model of the Apple Watch. OLED technology is known for requiring less power than competing technologies, bright colors, and strong performance in direct sunlight. But, OLED is also more expensive than some display technologies, making the need for improved production at the new plant critical.
There’s no word yet on whether LG Display’s OLED tech will appear in the next Google Nexus smartphone, but the company’s partner, LG Electronics, is rumored to be one of the device makers producing the forthcoming Nexus. The Nexus devices are expected to have 5.2 and 5.7-inch displays, along with a bunch of hot new hardware.
This is the 6th generation of LG Display’s OLED display line. There is a lot to like about the new generation, both for LG and for users, assuming the displays perform as planned. On LG Display’s side, the new plant and process will result in 4.92 x 6.07-foot sheets that can be used to create 200 5.5-inch smartphone displays. That’s a significant bump in production from older processes and will matter for LG Electronics as the device maker competes with players like Apple and Samsung.
LG OLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
LG Display uses OLED technology for everything from large TV screens to small, flexible smartphone phone screens. The technology appears in Dell’s Venue 10 7000, Acer’s new Liquid Leap+ fitness tracker wristband, and even, possibly, an upcoming model of the Apple Watch. OLED technology is known for requiring less power than competing technologies, bright colors, and strong performance in direct sunlight. But, OLED is also more expensive than some display technologies, making the need for improved production at the new plant critical.
There’s no word yet on whether LG Display’s OLED tech will appear in the next Google Nexus smartphone, but the company’s partner, LG Electronics, is rumored to be one of the device makers producing the forthcoming Nexus. The Nexus devices are expected to have 5.2 and 5.7-inch displays, along with a bunch of hot new hardware.
