LG to Display Its Roll-Up Flexible OLED Screen in CES 2016

The biggest electronic trade show in North America, Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will open this week in Last Vegas. In the event, LG, the Korean electronic giant announced to showcase its new advancement in its technology: a flexible OLED screen that can be rolled.

The Verge reported that prototype of an 18-inch screen is showing off at the Consumer Electronics Show this week that rolls up like a piece of paper. LG has further developed its forward-looking OLED technology focusing on bendable, rollable, and curving displays. In the last year CES, the company has also showed the technology as a proof of concept but the actual product was not shown in the trade show.

Electronic companies have been trying to invent a working flexible display. Three companies: Sony, LG and Samsung are known to work on the technology for a flexible technology. Sony and LG with its OLED and Samsung with its AMOLED are on the race to decode a new technology of flexible screen.

In 2010, Sony exhibited the prototype of its rollable 4.1-inch display integrated with Sony organic thin-film transistors and OLED technology. Later in the same year Samsung announced its technology. In 2013, Samsung launched Samsung Galaxy Round as the world's first mobile phone with flexible screen, and at the same time LG also introduced its G Flex as flexible smartphone.

The challenges lied in delivering the large screen flexible display. According to Gizmodo, the technology was first spotted in 2014 and it was only shown off behind closed doors. However, as now LG is parading it in front of the world's media at the tradeshow, it suggests that the prototype is nearly ready for its own headline placement in a purchasable consumer device.

With the announcement, LG Display is pushing to make OLED its class-leading screen technology. Gizmodo also took note that although Sony, Sharp and Samsung have all dabbled in OLED, it is LG that remains most committed to the visually-impressive but slow-starting format.

Engadget also acknowledged LG's commitment to present a working OLED flexible screen. In 2014, according to Engadget, LG has announced to build an 18-inch OLED panel that rolls up just like a newspaper. Two years ago, the rollable OLED panel as LG mentioned was only 3 cm across and featured a 1,200 by 810 pixel resolution.

Another highlight for LG technology to be showcased in this year's CES is a paper-thin 55-inch OLED TV, and a TV screen that can show two separate images on both sides.

The CES 2016 will be held from January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas with more than 3,600 companies will exhibit their product in a 2.4 million square feet arena. LG is one of the companies participating as well as other technology companies.