LG flexes its muscles - confirms flexible smartphone display is on its way

LG confirms its flexible smartphone display is on its way
There's about zero chance the phone will actually bend though

It's almost like LG heard about the Samsung Galaxy Round rumours this morning, with the company having just announced it's to start mass producing the its first flexible OLED panel for smartphones.

LG has been showing plenty of interest in the flexible space and its first flexible smartphone, the LG Flex or LG Z (as it's currently being referred to as) has also been working the rumour mill for a while.

Today LG has confirmed that the flexible smartphone screen is coming, claiming it to be a world first. The flexible OLED panel will use plastic substrates instead of glass and will be bendable and, LG claims, "unbreakable".

Life's bendy

"Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year," said Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of LG Display, Dr Sang Deog Yeo.

LG's new OLED panel will be 0.44mm thin and LG says it will weigh just 7.2g "even with a 6-inch screen". Just like the 6-inch screen the LG Flex is rumoured to have, then.

LG also hinted that the technology will used in devices beyond its smartphones. That LG smartwatch would make sense right about now...

While LG is going big on the "world's first" business, Samsung is also believed to be in the running, and may even be announcing its first flexible handset this week.

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Hugh Langley

Hugh Langley is the ex-News Editor of TechRadar. He had written for many magazines and websites including Business Insider, The Telegraph, IGN, Gizmodo, Entrepreneur Magazine, WIRED (UK), TrustedReviews, Business Insider Australia, Business Insider India, Business Insider Singapore, Wareable, The Ambient and more.

Hugh is now a correspondent at Business Insider covering Google and Alphabet, and has the unfortunate distinction of accidentally linking the TechRadar homepage to a rival publication.

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