Last week Sharp agreed to sell a two-thirds stake to Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) for $3.5 billion. According to Digitimes Research, Foxconn and Sharp's post-acquisition focus will be on OLEDs, and out of the total investment $1.8 billion will be allocated for OLED technology.

Foxconn aims to start producing IGZO-based OLEDs for smartphones in 2018 (probably they aim to become Apple's 2nd OLED supplier) and then to start developing larger OLEDs too. Digitimes layers our Foxconn's plans - 3 million tablet/notebook panels in 2021 and 10.4 million panels in 2025. In 2021 Foxconn will also start producing OLED TV panels - 252,000 panels in 2021 and 7.2 million panels in 2025.

In early 2016 we heard reports that Samsung is aiming to introduce its first foldable phone in 2016 - earlier than the planned 2017 launch. But new reports from Korea suggest that while SDC will indeed start producing foldable OLEDs in late 2016, Samsung Electronics will release the actual device in 2017 - perhaps this will be the Galaxy S8?

Foldable OLED concept (2013)

The reports further says that the display will be a 5" smartphone when closed and a 7" tablet when opened. SDC and Samsung Electronics both have several technical challenges to overcome before a foldable smartphone is mass produced - but the companies believe they will manage to solve those challenges and achieve mass production before the end of the year.