Flexible OLEDs: introduction and market status | OLED-Info

OLED is an emerging display technology that enables beautiful and efficient displays and lighting panels. OLEDs are already being used in smartphones, laptops, wearables, tablets and TVs, and many of OLEDs are flexible ones.

A flexible OLED is based on a flexible substrate (usually polyimide). The first generation of OLEDs produced on these were not really flexible from the user perspective. The device maker bends the displays, or curves it - but the final user is not able to actually bend the device. These first-gen flexible OLEDs are adopted many premium smartphones, for example the Samsung edge-type Galaxy phones or Apple's latest iPhones. A plastic-based OLED has several advantages especially in mobile devices - the displays are lighter, thinner and more durable compared to glass based displays.

Second generation flexible OLED displays can be bent by the user - these can be used for example to create foldable smartphones - the first range of which started shipping in 2019 and today these are quite popular. Rollable OLEDs are likely to enter the market soon, offering the ability to create scrollable devices. In 2019, LG launched the world's first rollable OLED device - the 65" Signature OLED TV R but in 2024 it discontinued this device as its price was too high for consumers.

While several companies (including Samsung, LG, BOE and others) are producing OLED displays, it is not straightforward to find a good and reliable supply of these displays.

If you are interested in buying a flexible OLED panel for your project or device, look no further. Our OLED Marketplace offers several flexible OLEDs, which can be ordered through us with ease.

OLED technology has transformed the display industry, enabling thinner, lighter, efficient and flexible displays, with superb image quality than ever before. The journey from laboratory discovery to mass-market dominance is marked by a series of pivotal moments. Here, we explore five of the most significant milestones that shaped the OLED landscape, followed by a look at other critical achievements and what the future may hold for the OLED industry and market.

1. The original Kodak OLED moment (1987)

The story of OLED began in 1987 at Eastman Kodak, where Ching Tang and Steven Van Slyke built the first operational OLED device. Their breakthrough combined modern thin-film deposition techniques with suitable organic materials to create a double-layer OLED that could emit light efficiently at low voltages. This foundational work proved that organic materials could be used to make practical light-emitting devices and laid the groundwork for decades of innovation. Kodak continued to develop OLED technologies, until it sold its entire OLED IP to LG for $100 million in 2009.

2. The invention of PHOLEDs and the founding of Universal Display Corporation (UDC, 1994-1998)

While early OLEDs used fluorescent emitters, the next major leap was the development of phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLEDs). PHOLEDs, pioneered by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (and commercialized by Universal Display Corporation, founded in 1994), dramatically improved efficiency by allowing nearly 100% internal quantum efficiency, compared to about 25% for fluorescent OLEDs. This efficiency gain was crucial for battery-powered devices and large-area displays.

The OLED Marketplace is now listing LG Display's flexible (foldable) 13.3" laptop display, the same display used by Lenovo in its 2020 ThinkPad X1 Fold. This panel offers a 1536x2048 resolution, a brightness of 300 nits, and a bending radius of 3R.

If you are interested in this display for your device or new project, contact us now, or check out more information over at the OLED Marketplace. We also list other flexible displays, ranging from wearable flexible OLEDs to smartphone and laptop type displays.

Omdia says that the penetration of OLEDs, and specifically flexible AMOLED displays into the smartphone market is on the rise. In the first quarter of 2025, 63% of all smartphones shipped with AMOLED displays, up from 57% in the first quarter of 2024. The company expects 750 million smartphone OLED displays to ship in 2025, with a market share of over 60%.

The increase in OLED shipments is driven mostly by Chinese flexible OLED makers. According to Omdia, 364 million AMOLED displays were produced in China, up 120 million from 2023. In total 566 million flexible OLED panels shipped in 2024. Rigid AMOLED displays are being phased out as smartphone vendors opt for flexible OLEDs instead. The main customer for rigid OLEDs (which are mostly being produced by Samsung Display) is Samsund Electronics.

LG Display is demonstrating its latest OLED technologies, displays and prototypes at SID Displayweek 2025. The company is focused, this year, on three technologies: large sized WOLED panels, automotive displays, and next-generation technologies.

In the large-area WOLED zone, LG Display is showing its 4th-Gen WOLED panels, that adopt LG's tandem stack to reach a brightness of up to 4,000 nits. The new OLED panels also boost energy efficiency by approximately 20% compared to the previous generation (based on 65-inch panels), through enhancements in the element structure and power supply system. LG is also showing its latest 27-inch gaming WOLED panels, and its 45-inch 5K2K (5120x2160) monitor panel.

Samsung Display is showing several new displays and technologies at Displayweek 2025. First up we have Samsung's latest Sensor OLED display protype that allows for allows fingerprint recognition and cardiovascular health monitoring across the entire screen surface.

To create this display, SDC integrated OPD directly during the OLED deposition process, embedding the sensors into the panel itself (what is sometimes referred to as a bi-directional OLED). Beyond fingerprints, it measures biometric data such as heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. This technology is based on how OLED light reflects differently depending on the contraction and relaxation of blood vessels.

BOE says that it has shipped almost 140 million flexible AMOLED displays in 2024, falling a bit short of its target of 16 million units. In 2025, the company hopes to grow its shipments by 21%, reaching 170 million units.

BOE says that the main reason for not reaching its target in 2024 was that its Chongqing 6-Gen AMOLED production line encountered some technical issues, and did not ramp up as expected. In addition, the market experienced fierce competition and the company suffered from a decline in orders from customers outside of China. A more positive reason for BOE is that it increased its LTPO capacity, which reduced total unit capacity in its fabs.

Visionox announced that it plans to invest 5 billion Yuan (around $690 million) to construct a global flexible AMOLED R&D center in Kunshan, China. Visionox says this massive R&D initiative will help it to expand the application of AMOLEDs into new applications. The Kunshan Economic and Technological Development Zone will provide assistance (including financial backing) to Visionox in building the new center.

The focus of this new R&D center will be on OLED materials, production equipment and core foundational technologies. Visionox plans to look into new OLED applications including AR and VR devices, automotive displays, medical imaging, and more.

According to a report from Korea, Samsung Display has decided to adopt a tandem OLED stack architecture in its future automotive OLED panels. Up until now, most of its automotive displays used a single stack. This change will enable the company to offer highly efficient and longer lasting panels.

In addition to the tandem stack architecture, Samsung Display has also finished the development of automotive flexible OLED panels, produced on a polyimide substrate, and encapsulated via TFE. The company is also developing rigid TFE OLEDs produced on glass. The company has developed these new panels as per customer requests.

Researchers from the Korea's SNU, KAIST and KIMM developed a new lift-off process for flexible OLED displays, based on graphene. The researchers term the new method GLLO, or Graphene Laser Lift Off.

The researchers placed a single-layer CVD graphene film between the polyimide film and the glass carrier. The graphene, with its ability to absorb ultra-violet light and distribute heat laterally, enables a clean lift-off without any wrinkles or residues. Using the GLLO method, the researchers successfully separated 2.9 μm thick ultrathin PI substrates without any mechanical damage or carbon residue left behind. In contrast, traditional methods left the substrates wrinkled and the glass carriers unusable due to stubborn residues. This breakthrough has far-reaching implications for stretchable electronics and wearable devices.

Samsung Display unveiled a 18.1" rollable OLED laptop display at CES 2025, one that can roll down to 13.1" when closed. The company today announced that it aims to begin mass producing rollable OLED displays in April 2025. This will mark the first ever mass produced rollable display (apart for the limited volume production of LG's 65" rollable TV screens, that are discontinued).

During CES, Lenovo demonstrated the first laptop to use such a rollable OLED, the ThinkBook Plus G6 Rollable laptop. Lenovo plans to launch it globally in June 2025. The ThinkBook Plus G6 Rollable will have a 14" 5:4 display when rolled in, and a 16.7" 8:9 display when opened. That's an increase of almost 50% in screen size. The price of Lenovo rollable laptop will start at $3,499 - this is a ultra premium device.