Move over foldable phones: LG is going big for its next bendable display, to be debuted at CES 2021. LG Display will show off the world’s first bendable OLED display in a large 48-inch size.
The screen is designed primarily for gaming, with its curvature intended to increase immersion in gaming experiences. LG says that its OLED technology allows the display to remain paper-thin, but it can also bend and unfold with a curvature of up to 1,000R. That means that the display can bend with a radius of up to 1,000mm. The idea is that it can be left flat for watching movies or TV, when multiple viewers benefit from being able to see the display from any angle, and then curved for playing games, when just one person is the focus of the action and only needs to view the display from one position.
The display will be shown off by LG as only part of what we expect from CES 2021, which will be a virtual event. Instead of the usual in-person event with thousands of companies, journalists, and tech enthusiasts packed into convention centers, this year companies will be hosting online events so everyone can stay home and stay safe from the pandemic. In addition to its curved OLED display, LG will also be showing off its mini-LED TV lineup which should offer more precise backlighting with improved black levels and increased overall brightness.
As for the curved display, it will also come with a feature called Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO), in which the display actually vibrates itself to produce sound without the use of speakers. The company says that this makes seeing a conversation on the screen feel even more real as it mimics the experience of hearing sounds directly from the characters speaking rather than coming from speakers at the side or above or below the screen.
“LG Display’s 48-inch Bendable CSO display is optimized for gaming as it maximizes the use of advanced technology that produces another level in terms of providing an immersive experience. In other words, it offers the very best gaming environment to gamers,” said Dr. Chang-ho Oh, Executive Vice President & Head of the TV Business Unit at LG Display, in a statement.