LG Display (LGD), the leader of the large-sized OLED display market, is actively venturing into the mid-to-small-sized IT OLED market. It recently announced the mass production of a 17-inch foldable panel for notebooks. Through LG Electronics, it's expected to launch South Korea's first foldable notebook to expand its market.
According to reports from Money Today and Yonhap News Agency (YNA), LGD has begun mass-producing 17-inch foldable OLED panels for notebooks. When fully unfolded, it is a 17-inch display with an aspect ratio of 4:3. By adjusting the folding angle, it becomes a 12.3-inch display with an aspect ratio of 3:2.
Industry sources pointed out that LGD is expanding its Tandem OLED technology, exclusively developed in 2019, from automotive OLED applications to IT products. This technology involves stacking two emissive layers to enhance the brightness and lifespan. OLED panels manufactured using Tandem technology can operate stably for long times, making them suitable for products with longer screen times like notebooks and tablets.
Additionally, said panel uses special materials to significantly reduce creases compared to existing foldable panels, resulting in a smoother screen when unfolded. The curvature radius of the folding part has also been reduced to 3R, and it features a QHD+ (2,560 x 1,920) resolution and excellent contrast.
As LGD begins mass production of 17-inch foldable OLEDs, LG Electronics has also announced that it will be launching South Korea's first foldable notebook, the "LG Gram Fold." It's equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor and comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of memory. When unfolded, its thickness is only 9.4mm. Even with a large 72Wh battery, it weighs only about 1,250 grams, maintaining the lightweight and slim feature of LG notebooks.
The LG Gram Fold can activate a virtual keyboard when folded. For users who are not accustomed to using virtual keyboards, they can place a Bluetooth keyboard on the bottom screen and connect it to the laptop. In this case, the bottom screen will automatically turn off, enhancing the product's usability.
Industry sources believe that with the introduction of 17-inch OLEDs, LGD will strengthen its leading position in the field of IT OLED. After dominating large-sized panels for such a long time, LGD's growth potential in the mid-to-small-sized IT panel sector is highlighted by the fact that it's reportedly set to supply Apple with millions of OLED panels for iPads in 2024.
