Flexible displays are exciting - giving device makers the freedom of design can potentially unlock new applications and put displays where they haven't been seen before. Flexible displays, made on plastic substrates, are also thinner, lighter and more durable.
Following years of research, in 2013 both Samsung Display and LG Display finally started producing flexible OLEDs on plastic substrates. Since then Samsung has taken the clear lead, but LGD has some ambitious plans of its own. Other display makers are also aiming to start making such panels soon. This article will detail current AMOLED production capabilities, future production plans and market forecasts.
Samsung is currently producing flexible OLEDs in its 5.5-Gen A2 line (8,000 monthly substrates) and in its newer 6-Gen A3 line (15,000 monthly substrates) which started production towards the end of 2015. Most of SDC's capacity goes to the flexible OLEDs used in the company’s curved OLED smartphones (the Galaxy S7 edge and S6 edge plus) and the success of these phones was a positive surprise for the flexible OLED industry.
In 2016, Samsung’s combined flexible OLED capacity (A2+A3) enabled it to produce around 9 million smartphone-sized flexible panels. SDC also started to supply flexible OLEDs to more companies besides Samsung Electronics - for example Huawei for its Mate 9 Pro smartphone. SDC reportedly signed a contract to supply 100 million flexible AMOLED panels to Apple starting in 2017 or 2018 (but some other reports suggest that Apple will actually go glass). SDC aims to double the A3 line capacity (to 30,000 monthly substrates) by early 2017, and will continue to increase capacity in the next years.
LG Display currently produces flexible plastic-based AMOLEDs in its 4.5-Gen line that has a capacity of 14,000 monthly substrates. LG Display used to produce 5.5 FHD panels (used in LG's own G Flex 2) but is now focused on wearable OLEDs. LG makes the flexible round OLEDs used in its own new smartwatches - and LGD is also the exclusive supplier for Apple's Watch.
LGD's capacity is relatively low, but this is going to change soon. LG announced plans to build a new 6-Gen flexible OLED fab in Gumi (the E5 line, which will cost $900 million). The new line will have a monthly capacity of 7,500 monthly substrates and will enter mass production in the first half of 2017. LG is also working on a third flexible OLED fab, the E6 line, which will also be a 6-Gen fab with double the capacity of the E5 line (15,000 substrates). The E6 is scheduled for the end of 2018. LGD's ambitious P10 OLED fab will also include some flexible OLED capacity - although plans for this fab hasn't been finalized yet, and it will mostly be used to make large area OLED TV panels.
Currently SDC and LGD are the only flexible OLED producers, and Samsung's capacity is drastically larger than LG's. The AMOLED market is in a clear over demand situation - and it is very difficult to get any flexible OLED displays - and this situation is likely to continue in the next few years even with the new added capacity as Samsung, Apple and phone makers in China has a insatiable appetite for OLED panels.
Other display makers are also rushing to start producing flexible OLEDs. While all display makers have active flexible OLED R&D, in this article we will only list the companies with actual plans to start making plastic-based OLEDs.
We'll start with Everdisplay (EDO). Everdisplay is currently producing rigid glass-based AMOLED displays in a 4.5-Gen line with a monthly capacity of 20,000 substrates. The company demonstrated flexible OLED prototypes (including the nice one you see below). In December 2016 EDO officially launched its 6-Gen flexible AMOLED fab in Shanghai - and this fab is expected to have a monthly capacity of 30,000 substrates. Total investment in the new fab is estimated at almost $4 billion. I visited EDO in January 2017 and can confirm that the cranes ar in place at the site...
China-baseed BOE Display is currently producing AMOLED displays at its 5.5-Gen LTPS OLED fab in Ordos, and the company has plans for several new and larger-capacity OLED fabs. In October 2016 BOE signed a framework agreement with the Miangyang government in Sichaun to establish a 6-Gen flexible AMOLED fab. Total investment in this fab is estimated at 46.5 billion yuan ($6.87 billion USD) and capacity will be 48,000 substrates per month. BOE aims to start construction in the second quarter of 2017 and mass production will begin in 2019.
China's Visionox has started mass producing AMOLED panels in June 2015 in a 5.5-Gen line (14,000 substrates/month) in Kunshan. Visionox is also looking to build a 6-Gen AMOLED fab in Chengdu - and this one will produce flexible AMOLEDs. The 6-Gen line will have a capacity of 30,000 substrates per month and is planned to start making panels at around 2018 (it seems that plans are not final yet).
In Japan we have two OLED developers that are progressing towards mass production, and it seems that both will focus on flexible OLEDs. Sharp is late to the OLED game, but following the acquisition by Foxconn the company is moving fast towards AMOLED production. Foxconn allocated to Sharp around $1.8 billion towards OLED development and production. We heard several reports regarding Sharp's OLED plans, but the latest one suggests that the company aims to establish a $865 OLED line in China - with initial production in 2019. It is likely that Sharp's first fab will make flexible OLEDs as the company aims to become a high-end producer and a supplier to Apple.
Japan's second OLED developer is Japan Display (JDI). JDI was formed in November 2011 by Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba who combined their small/medium panel production capabilities and received $2 billion from Japan's Innovation Network Corp (INCJ). JDI has been developing OLEDs since its inception, and the company does have plans to start mass producing OLED panels as it also aims to remain an Apple supplier. JDI has plans to produce AMOLED display by 2018, but no definite investments have been announced yet. JDI has been showing flexible OLED panels for several years, for example the panel you see below. JDI recently increased its stake at printing OLED developer JOLED which should strengthen its flexible OLED capabilities.
Foldable OLED displays
Flexible OLEDs are great - but all the displays currently in production are not foldable by the users. They can be conformed to be applied to a non-flat surface - but still are protected by glass and the displays will not stand several bending cycles.
Companies are, though, developing truly foldable OLEDs as this could unlock even more new applications - think of a smartwatch that opens to become a device with a phone-sized display, or a phone that opens to become a tablet.
Samsung, again, is leading this technology, and the Korean display maker has been developing foldable OLED for many years. The release date of foldable OLEDs has been pushed back (originally SDC hoped to release the first display in 2015), but reportedly SDC has recently accelerated its efforts, and such a phone may be released in 2017.
Samsung is of course not alone, and other companies are also developing similar technologies. A report from Korea last year claimed that LG Display, for example, is partnering with Apple, Google and Microsoft to develop a foldable OLED display for smartphones - with plans to start producing such displays in 2018.
China-based phone maker Lenovo recently introduced two interesting foldable OLED prototype devices - the CPlus, a smartphone that turns into a smartwatch or actually a smart "band" that is worn on the wrist and the Folio - a tablet that folds in half to be an edge-type smartphone. Lenovo did not disclose the OLED producer, only that the display was provided "by a partner" - this is likely to be display produced by SDC. Click here to see video demonstration of these two exciting devices.
flexible PMOLED
On the lower-end scale of the flexible display market, we have flexible PMOLED displays. While PMOLED displays are not as exciting as the larger and higher-quality AMOLEDs, it is still great to see PMOLED makers going after flexible displays. Futaba has been producing its film-type flexible (curved) PMOLEDs for quite some time - and these displays have been incorporated into several products - for example Garmin's Vivosmar and Huawei's TalkBand. The display in both devices is a 34.4 X 3.5 mm (1.4-inch) white PMOLED display with a resolution of 128X16. Futatba is also producing color film-type OLEDs.
Taiwanese PMOLED maker Wisechip is also developing flexible PMOLED displays. The company recently demonstrated a prototype that featured a curvature of 40 mm and a resolution of 256 x 60. Wisechip did not say when such displays will enter production, though.
Market forecasts
Most analysts agree that most of the growth will come from flexible OLEDs. IHS estimates that flexible display shipments (mostly OLEDs) will reach 139 million units in 2017 (or 3.8% of the total display market) - an increase of 135% compared to 2016 (59 million units). In 2023 IHS sees shipments of 560 million flexible displays.
UBI is again very aggressive, as the company sees over a billion flexible OLED panels being produced as early as in 2021. The largest customer for those flexible OLEDs will be Apple with 518 million panels:
Analyst firm IDTechEx estimated the flexible OLED market at around $1.6 billion in 2016 and almost $18 billion in 2020 with the largest application by far still being mobile phones. By 2026, the flexible OLED display market will reach $57 billion in revenue.
