Devices with flexible displays are on their way to the mainstream. Even if it’s taken people like LG and Samsung a little longer than we would have imagined to deliver devices with the technology, smartphones like the Galaxy Note Edge and G Flex 2 utilize flexibile displays in interesting, fresh ways. Sure, these devices aren’t the revolution that we’ve been looking forward to, but they’re definitely a change of pace from the usual slate designs we’ve all become accustomed to. One area that seems to be overlooked when talking about devices with Flexible displays is that they’re mostly OLED panels, and that makes them even more different from your regular LCD panel.
According to a latest IHS report, the more devices that ship with Flexible Displays, the more devices will ship with OLED panels. This latest report from the IHS has stated that 75% of devices in 2015 that ship with a Flexible Display will do so using an OLED panel. This is hardly surprising, considering OLED’s ability to be self-lighting, and require no backlight like LCD displays. Without the need for a backlight, it’s easier to make displays that can bend and flex as there’s one less part to worry about. As well as being flexible, OLED panels offer much deeper blacks and more saturated colors, something that many diehard Samsung fans love about their Super AMOLED displays.
More interesting than the fact that OLED is to find mainstream success with flexible displays is perhaps the news that the IHS is predicting foldable tablets to launch in 2015. This, I feel, is something of a stretch, but tablets with flexible displays certainly have some potential. Even if they were to use an edge like the Galaxy Note Edge, users could easily check notifications and such by just peeking into their bag, and a curved display like the G Flex 2 could make for an interesting portable cinema. No matter what though, it sure looks like Flexible Displays will hit the mainstream over the next two years. I’m pretty excited for this change of pace, but what about you guys? Let us know in the comments below or over on G+.