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LG Display has entered the foldable screen market race as it prepares to supply the next-generation display panels for Lenovo's foldable-screen laptops.
This will fire up the rivalry with Samsung Display that began manufacturing displays for foldable devices in April.
Lenovo, a Chinese technology company, unveiled what it is calling the world's first laptop with a foldable display at its Accelerate Conference in Florida, May 13, after three years of development.
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| Lenovo's laptop with the foldable display / Courtesy of Lenovo |
The Chinese firm said its new folding-screen laptop, which will be released next year, will be have a 13.3-inch 2K organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display as part of a partnership with LG Display.
The display stretches across the entire face of the device, the Chinese company said. The laptop has no physical keyboard and instead users will have a software keyboard that appears in the bottom half of the screen.
It is the first time LG Display has signed a contract with a client to supply its foldable screens.
Industry officials expect LG Group's display business unit will also begin supplying foldable screens for smartphones soon.
"The value of foldable screens will maximize in mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones," a LG Display official said. "We have made thorough preparations through cooperation with our clients to supply the products on time."
For its part, Samsung Display has completed the development of displays for foldable devices and celebrated the successful shipment of products at its factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, April 9.
The firm said its foldable screens will be used for the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
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| The Samsung Galaxy Fold / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
Following mass-production of foldable displays for smartphones, Samsung Display is likely to gain the upper hand in the Chinese market as phone makers there seek to compete with rival Samsung Electronics.
Chinese display makers are thought to be lagging Samsung Display in terms of technology.
Samsung Display is also expected to expand its foldable products to other IT devices such as laptops.
Competition in the market is expected to become fiercer as Chinese display makers move to develop related technologies.
According to market research company IHS Markit, the global foldable display market will reach 53 million OLEDs in 2025, from 1.5 million this year, up more than 3,400 percent in six years.
