A storm is quietly brewing in South Korea, with two major players preparing to wage a war of sorts. No, I’m not talking about North and South Korea, I’m talking about LG Display and Samsung as they battle over the future of flexible display technology.

Samsung has been lauding the virtues and uses of flexible display technology for years now. Recently they have even come rather close to putting their money where their mouth is with its YOUM brand of flexible displays, as seen back at January’s CES. Still, after all these years of hyping the technology, Samsung has yet to release any product using the technology commercially and LG is inching towards a similar flexible display future.

According to a recent Korea Times column, LG is continuing to advance in the areas of OLED Tvs, UHD displays and flexible screen technology. They’ve even managed to successfully demonstrate and prepare to market a flexible e-paper display.

Now LG has put a firmer timeline on when its first batch of flexible displays will surface, and the goal is set for later this year. In contrast, Samsung’s plans seem to point more towards 2014.

What flexible displays mean for the future

Let’s say that LG manages to reach production yields for flexible display tech ahead of its rival. What can of devices can you expect? Regardless of whether Sammy or LG is the first to deliver, you will likely see the first flexible display in something that looks about the same as smartphones today – in other words, it won’t really be bendable, as its battery, casing and other components will still be firm.

Instead, the flexible display will be used to create curved panels, or perhaps just to help make the displays a little more shatter-proof then currently found in your typical smartphone. Of course that’s only the beginning.

The first LCD displays were very primitive by today’s standards, but years of evolution saw them fit into uses that were never imagined during their inception. Once LG or Samsung breaks the barrier and gives us the first commercial flexible display-equipped device, the path will be set towards an interesting future that will likely unfold in the decades to come.

Who knows, ten or twenty years from now, displays might be cheap, disposable, fully flexible and capable of fully replacing phamplets, newspapers and finding their way into all sorts of unique devices like the recently patented Apple curved display iPhone.

What would you like to see in the next few years when it comes to devices equipping flexible displays? Any crazy ideas or concepts you can think of? Share them with us in the comment section below!
Source: KoreaTimes via Android Authority
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At CES Samsung has been busy showing off a prototype Android phone which features a curved glass display, tech that some are claiming will soon be available to buy in the next generation Samsung Galaxy S4 and possibly even the Note 3.

In addition to Samsung’s own phones devices, LG are also reportedly looking into using flexible screens on some of it’s own devices which might also include tablets, TV screens and laptops.

It’s still unclear just how much the Youm display from Samsung can bend, and how the curved areas will be used to enhance users experience, but judging by the state of the current hardware we won’t have long to find out.

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