Foldable OLEDs: introduction and market status - Page 6

The Elec reports that Samsung Display is currently using a transparent tape (OCA) to attach the OLED panel to the cover glass, in its foldable OLED production process. The company has decided to switch to liquid transparent adhesive (OCR) in order to reduce production costs.

The cover glass lamination is performed at Samsung's module factory, in Vietnam. The company will make the necessary investments in the plant to enable it to use OCR technology.

DSCC says that 2.22 million foldable smartphones shipped in Q1 2022, up 571% from the first quarter of 2021. In Q4 2021, however, 4.2 million units shipped (a 47% decrease).

DSCC estimates that a total of 16 million foldable OLED phones will ship in 2022, a 107% increase compared to 2021. In terms of OLED panels, over 20 million will be produced and shipped in 2022.

BOE demonstrated its latest OLED technologies and displays at SID Displayweek 2022. The most interesting display is a 95-inch 8K HDR OLED display, produced on an Oxide-TFT panel with a white-OLED CF structure. The panel was produced using an evaporation method.

This is the first time we hear of BOE's evaporation TV program, since around 2016. The company has an active inkjet printing OLED TV project, and in December 2019 it unveiled a 55" 8K (160 PPI) printed OLED TV prototype.

Yesterday we reported on LGD's SID Displayweek exhibition displays, and today the company shared a video with us that shows some of these displays in action:

First you'll see LG's latest 8.03-inch 2480x2200 foldable OLED displays, that can fold both inwards and outwards. The second display is LG's largest WOLED panel, the 97-inch OLED.EX.

Samsung Display unveils new OLED displays at SID Displayweek 2022. First up is the Flex G flexible display, which folds inwards twice, and the Flex S, that can fold both inwards and outwards.

Samsung is also new rollable displays - a 6.7" slidable display that can expand and a larger 12.4" slidable OLED that can expand from both ends. When close, the display is 8.1" in size.

LG Display has unveiled a new foldable OLED panel, that can fold 360-degrees - both inwards and outwards. The panel is 8.03" in size with a resolution of 2480x2200, and has been tested for over 200,000 folding cycles. LGD says it developed a special folding structure to minimize creasing.

LG is also showing other technologies and panels - a 17" folding display for laptops, a 97-inch OLED.EX TV panel, a bendable 42-inch gaming display and its 55" touch-enabled transparent OLEDs.

OLED driver IC developer MagnaChip started shipping OLED display drivers in 2007, and the company announced yesterday that it has shipped over 730 million units since.

MagnaChip recently expanded its business area into new markets such as foldable smartphones, automotive displays and OLED TVs. The company expects the OLED DDIC market to grow rapidly in the next new years and quotes Omdia's estimate of 1.2 billion OLED panels shipped in 2028.

Visionox announced plans to build a new flexible and foldable OLED module production line, in Hefei. Total investment in the new project will amount to 11 billion Yuan (around $1.6 billion USD), and Visionox will receive financial assistance from the local government.

Visionox started trial production at its M4 flexible OLED module factory in Guangzhou in late 2020. The company's 2nd OLED line is located in Hefei and is already mass producing panels.

Samsung Electronics reported its financial results for Q1 2022. Revenues hit a new record of 77.78 trillion Won ($61.2 billion USD) and the operating profit was 14.12 trillion Won ($11 billion USD).

Samsung Display's revenues were 7.97 trillion Won ($6.3 billion USD) with an operating profit of 1.09 trillion Won ($900 million USD). Samsung says its mobile display earnings improved from 2021, led by strong demand for OLED smartphone displays and growing adoption of OLED displays in laptops and gaming devices.

Smart pen developer Anoto Group announced that it has been commissioned to develop a digital screen pen for Samsung Display's foldable OLED screens for mobile phones, tablets and PCs. SDC will pay Anoto for the pen development (which will be finalized by the end of 2022) and will also pay royalties to Anoto as SDC will produce the pen itself.

Anoto explains that established screen pen solutions cannot be used with foldable OLED displays due to their thinness and size. Anoto says that its proprietary dot pattern technology and pen are uniquely suitable for foldable displays.