2017 to Be the First Year of OLED Smartphone Popularization

In the second half of the year, strategic smartphones will come with organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. In addition to Samsung, which has launched smartphones with OLED displays, Apple and LG are expected to jump on the bandwagon by choosing OLED displays for their smartphones. Thus it is said that 2017 will the first of the popularization of smartphones with OLED displays.

LG Electronics announced on August 3 that it was planning to install OLEDs in strategic smartphone in the second half of this year. It will be the third time that LG Electronics will apply OLED displays to its smartphones after G Flex in 2013 and G Flex 2 in 2015.

An OLED is a next-generation display that does not use a specific light source like an LCD but the front of liquid crystal itself emits light. An OLED was first commercialized on a large-sized TV, but was difficult to apply widely to smartphones due to yield and price issues. However, smartphones’ switch to OLED displays was a matter of time, because it has higher brightness and color reproduction rate than LCDs.

Accordingly, this year will go down in history as the first year of the popularization of OLED smartphones. Apple's iPhone 8 is expected to have an OLED display for the first time among iPhone models.

Samsung Electronics was the first smartphone maker to apply an “AMOLED” display. Since Galaxy S5 in 2014, both the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series have come with AMOLED displays. The Galaxy Note 8 to be released next month is expected to feature a large-screen AMOLED display. Samsung has accumulated small and medium-sized OLED technology through Samsung Mobile Display which merged into Samsung Display in 2012.

"An OLED is must-have technology for manufacturers for strengthen next-generation mobile competitiveness, especially that of smartphones," an official in the electronics industry said. In particular, ditch Chinese companies in hot pursuit of Korean companies, it is necessary to launch OLED products with a wide technology gap in the premium smartphone market.