Many of the foldable device concepts and early prototypes we started seeing a few years ago were often bulky and the bent screens looked fragile. There were also wrinkles on the screens.
But display technology has come a long way in just a few years. Foldable phones have already entered our lives. The two new mobile OLED display concepts shown at the LG Display booth at CES this year seem to take this a little further. A 17-inch laptop/tablet and a two-way foldable 8-inch smartphone-like device were the two items that stood out on the stand.
While the 17-inch device isn’t the first foldable tablet we’ve come across, LG Display claims it’s “almost completely wrinkle-free.” Also, LG says the screen has been tested up to 50,000 folds, so it should be pretty durable.
EngadgetThe other concept sees an 8-inch display, which LG Display officially calls “360-degree foldable OLED,” very similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, but that folds in both directions. In this way, in addition to the normal folding, the two screens can also be folded outwards.
LG Display says these “360-degree” capabilities could potentially allow a device to be produced in multiple different modes. Of course, it will also be up to hardware manufacturers and application developers to decide how to take advantage of this functionality, but the possibilities open up offer some pretty interesting options.
The 360-degree fold has been tested up to 200,000 folds and is far more powerful than any comparable foldable device currently on the market, the company states. While it is not yet clear whether Samsung and similar companies will want to use these displays, LG Display has shown that such a device may be much closer than thought.
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