LG has developed the industry’s first flexible screen that bends, twists, and stretches like taffy, from 12 to 18 inches.
The screen is just an example, but it could have useful applications for wearables, cars, smartphones, and other industries in the future. For example, flexible materials can be used to make clothes and bags.
LG demonstrated the screen on Friday at the LG Science Park in Seoul, South Korea, to more than 100 people. Its 50% magnification rate is the highest in the industry, and it has a resolution of 100 pixels per inch. The screen offers full color.
LG screen. Credit: LG
LG has been working with flexible screens for years. In 2019, the company launched a TV with the screen rolling away into the base when not in use. However, LG discontinued the 65-inch, $100,000 TV in May 2024 after slow sales.
In 2022, the company showed off a 12-inch display that can expand up to 14 inches. To build the screen, LG used a silicon base similar to that used for contact lenses. They created micro-LEDs and spring-shaped circuits on top to create a screen that can be twisted, stretched, and folded without damage.
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LG’s flexible screens have already made an impact in the fashion industry. In September, shows appeared on the runway at Seoul Fashion Week fronting clothes and bags designed by Youn-Hee Park and Chung-Chung Lee. The designers used 12-inch screens that can be expanded to 14 inches.
“We were able to design future fashion concepts with new materials that have never existed before,” Park said in a press release.
One dresser with a 12-to-14-inch expandable screen embedded in the front. Credit: LG
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LG’s rivals are also working on flexible screens. In August, Samsung publicly showed a prototype of a stretchable display for the first time. The microLED screen can expand up to 125% of its original size and has a resolution of 120 pixels per inch.
Samsung put the screen on the smartphone and showed how it can move to show the position of the map. The screen can be raised to show the presence of a mountain, for example.
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