Samsung has broken ground on a $14.2bn factory that will make small screens for mobile phone displays using the latest flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology, according to reports in the Korean press.
The facility will be built near the town of Asan, about 50km south of Seoul, where the company has plants that it has been converting to OLED production.
When complete, in the second half of 2018, it will be able to make screens for up to 30 million mobile phones a month.
Samsung said it was making the investment in response to strong demand for its premium phones. It is also the sole supplier of screens for Apple’s iPhone, which is expected to have a flexible OLED screen (pictured).
Up until now OLED displays have been prohibitively expensive and the technology has taken some time to perfect, however they look set to become normal for future models and Samsung is hoping its investment will allow it to offer the screens at competitive price.
OLED displays have greater contrast than conventional LED screens, as well as a faster refresh rate and lower power consumption.
The flexibility of the screens does not mean that the user can bend the phone. Rather, it allows Samsung to curve it round a phone’s edges, and enables it to be lighter and more durable than a conventional display.
Image: A possible version of the iPhone 8 (iPhone 8 Guides)
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