At the iMID 2017 conference in Korea, AP Systems announced that it realized high density OLED evaporation using new FMM technologies. By adopting ultra-short pulse laser (USPL), AP Systems achieved a 1,000 PPI. Changing the pin-hole shapes, the company says this technology can even reach 1,170 PPI.

High PPI OLEDs are especially important for VR applications, which require much higher pixel densities as the display is used very close to the eye. In May 2016 Samsung demonstrated a 5.5" 3840x2160 - which reaches 806 PPI, and according to reports Samsung were able to produce a 1,200 PPI AMOLED in March 2017.

Last month Mercedes-Benz announced it will unveil its 2018 S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet cars, and both will sport OLED Taillights. The company now officially unveiled its "dream-car" models with these beautiful OLED modules:

We do not know for sure who produces these OLEDs, but it seems likely that it is LG. It's not clear yet whether these OLEDs are optional (as was the case in the Audi TT 2016). Each module uses 33 individually controlled red OLED panels.

A couple of days ago we reported that Android Authority reviewed LG V30's display, which uses LGD's flexible pOLED panels, with very positive results - saying that LGD's mobile OLEDs are highly competitive with Samsung's latest Super AMOLED displays.

Ars Technica also posted an early review of a pre-production V30 device, but its conclusions are very different. While the display sounds great on paper, Ars Technica says (and it's got photos to prove) that in a dark room the display suffers from a grainy image and horizontal banding. The light level is also woefully uneven, with hotspots blazing out of the left and right corners.

Panasonic is demonstrating a new transparent 4K OLED TV prototype at the IFA 2017 exhibition. Panasonic did not reveal any commercialization plans or any technical details on this prototype.

Last year at IFA Panasonic demonstrated a new transparent display, showing several use cases for this technology - in wine refrigerators, in living room cabinets and more. Back then I wondered whether it was an OLED as reported - but now Panasonic specifically says this is an OLED panel. The 2016 prototype had an FHD resolution, so this year is certainly an improvement.

LG Electronics is offering discounts on its OLED TVs in Korea, with aims to increase its OLED TV sales. Discounts range from $875 to almost $1,500. LG says it hopes more users will be able to enjoy LG's high-end OLEDs, and the discounts will be available till the end of September.

Most reports suggest that LGD cannot keep up with demand for its OLED TV panels. It may be that LGE initiated these discounts for its premium OLED TVs and not for its entry-level OLEDs and so this does not reflect on LGD's OLED TV sales but rather on LGE's sales mix.

China TV maker Skyworth demonstrated several new OLED technologies at IFA 2017. First up is a 77" 4K OLED TV, which you can see on the video below.

Skyworth also demonstrated a Crsytal-Sound OLED technology - which seems to be similar to LG's technology (that also has the same name, which probably means this is indeed based on LGD's tech).

Android Authority performed some preliminary tests of LG V30's display, which uses LGD's flexible P-OLED panels. AA says that the first impressions are very positive, and LGD's mobile OLEDs are highly competitive with Samsung's latest Super AMOLED displays (AA compared the V30 to the Galaxy S8, although to be fair SDC has since improved its OLEDs).

LG's color temperature is quite higher compared to the OLED of the GS8 - 8500K vs the GS8 7500K. On manual brightness both phones are able to reach almost the same brightness (421 nits on the V30, 398 nits on the GS8), while on automotive mode the LG reaches 606 nits and the GS8 only 535 nits (DisplayMate says the GS8 should reach 1,020 nits - but AA could not reach this high brightness in these tests). AA reviewers say that the LG V30 is quite comparable to Samsung's display in terms of black levels and vibrant colors.

Merck, OLEDWorks, OPVIUS and Kolon launched a new textile-based "façade" concept that combines OLED lighting panels and OPV (organic PV panels). The new structure was launched as part of the first Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

The façade, in which the structure is made from Bamboo, was designed by architects Nikolaus Hirsch, Michel Müller and artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. The same installation will also be delivered to more exhibitions in Germany and Thailand during 2018.

An interesting report in Business Korea discloses that the price competition between high-end LCD and rigid (glass-based) OLED displays is intensifying. Both LCD and OLED display makers are struggling to win orders from low-end and mid-range smartphone makers, and as a result prices are declining.

In 2016 several new LCD plants have started operations ,which resulted in a large increase in LTPS LCD capacity - and thus lower prices. BK states that a smartphone LCD is now around 5$ cheaper compared to an OLED, which puts pressure on SDC and other AMOLED producers to lower prices.