On a recent DL Show, Tim and I talked about how frustrating it was that LG continues this slow (read: non-existent) move into OLED smartphone display panel production. We brought it up because Samsung moved into the space years ago and has become the king, yet LG, who makes and sells lots of OLED panels for TVs, continues to push LCD displays in smartphones. I don’t want to call LCD technology the past, but smartphone makers outside of Apple (who is constantly rumored to be switching to OLED), HTC, and LG, are all onto AMOLED. LG may have new reason to fire up the ol’ OLED production lines, though, according to a new report that claims Google wants to make a hefty $876 million investment.
This morning, etnews is reporting that Google has offered or is at least very interested in investing close to $1 billion toward LG Display facilities that make flexible OLED displays. The investment will potentially give Google priority over LG-produced OLED displays, while also helping the industry keep up with growing demand, since OLED panels are in short supply. In fact, this report claims that the Pixel and Pixel XL have struggled to remain in stock and available for purchase because Google can’t find enough OLED panels to put in them.
This report specifically suggests that the money would go towards “flexible” OLED panels, which would make sense since LG Display produces Plastic OLED or P-OLED panels right now. They featured them in devices like the G Flex and G Flex 2, two devices that never really caught on or sold well. However, they do currently use their P-OLED displays in smartwatches or other wearables.
etnews reports that we should see LG Display OLED panels on the new Pixel phones later this year.
Am I the only one who things every LG smart phone had a horrible looking display? Every one of them I including the g6 look very full and washed out. Compared the my Pixel i felt like I was looking at a phone made 5 years ago when comparing them at a store.
The one thing I loved about the G4 was the screen. And, honestly, if it didn’t burn me with that damn bootloop issue, I’d be all for buying the G5 and/or G6. But if their screens are going to be on the Pixel, I’m definitely picking that up.
FYI: These are reported to be curved OLED displays.
There will be a shortage of OLED for phones until 2018 2019. Every company is trying to horde them.
It took Samsung years to get to this point. Can’t expect LG just to release their first OLED “mobile” display and expect it to be on par with Samsung’s top panels.
Heck, it took them this long to release a premium device in the G6 which is already showing it’s age against the S8. I do give LG credit because when it comes to conventional non edge displays I really do like the G6 design even over Apple’s. Just missing the Snapdragon 835 and better speakers.
They make the best oled tv’s.. And they’ve made them before, g flex for example.
Comparing a 50 plus inch tv to a 5 to 6 inch display is night and day. You can hide flaws on a larger TV because you’re sitting so far away from it. I would say that it takes more engineering skills to make a high quality screen that will be viewed within arms reach.
Then why doesn’t Samsung make OLED TVs? The reason is it’s much harder to produce a large OLED then small. Yields are much better on small OLED screens. LG is able to do it due to a patent they bought from Kodak, and also the reason they are the only company producing large format OLED TVs on a mass scale.
This guy obviously has no idea what he’s talking about. lol
When you get a billion dollars, you can work on miniaturizing your screens.. If samsung can do it, some guy in his garage can do it. And you’d probably get better quality from the guy in his garage.
Just use LG’s IPS panels Google, c’mon! I’m typing this from my Nexus 6P which has the navigation keys burnt in to the display because of all the time I’ve been keeping the display on playing Pokémon Go. I really don’t want OLED panels in the next Pixel which I’m looking to buy.
I hear ya, but I will say this about my current pixel. It’s the first OLED panel I have that hasn’t shown any type of burn in yet. I think the panels have come a long way and the newer version of Android tries to mitigate that by having the wallpaper under the nav bar on the home screen, the white background in the app drawer, and the white background in the old Google Now screen.
Plz be flat
If the screen is slightly curved like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was then that would be nice but if there is an extreme bend like the LG Flex phones then no. Or if they go like the Samsung Edge phone then no also.
If these displays can look as good as LG’s OLED TVs, I’m all for it.
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Because Samsung’s production is being reserved for Apple’s big order and it’s own Note 8 & S9. I don’t think Sammy can squeeze Google in too.
If there’s no recalls this should be Samsung’s biggest year yet. The S8 and Note 8 will just steamroll everyone insight.
If there is another recall, I’m done with Samsung forever.
lol….. you couldnt pay me to buy or own Any Samsung or iSuck product. I’d rather buy 2 mid tier devices a yr that works just as well ( ex Honor 8 ) then give a red sent to either of those 2 companies ripping everyone off on over rated units.
Doesn’t matter. Samsung’s business model isn’t to be the biggest smartphone manufacturer. Their business model is to get paid for every smartphone sold regardless of brand. And yes, buying Honor 8 is putting money into Samsung’s pockets. China buys about $80B worth of semiconductor chips, panels, designs, etc per year. Most of that is going to Samsung.
Nowhere near as much as someone buying and actual Samsung device. And as far as i recall the only Samsung part in the device is the eMMC which is peanuts for cost. Either way cost over sale price is almost 2.5-3x when buying a Samsung or most big name brands. that said even if mid tiers have Samsung stuff in them there is Nowhere near the market up on those small part in vol like the eMMC in my Honor 8. I’m all for companies making money, but Samsung, Apple…..etc are just ripping ppl of blind on a yrly basis as they get the sheep to jump and buy the new device.
I totally agree
Ibezel is hoarding all the Amoled display and that affects the whole industry, Samsung almost completely cut supply to all other Chinese ones that most of them will come out with LED for the next 3 years while Samsung,Apple,LG and possibly Pixel have amoled…..fucking up other brands
Does this mean LG could possibly be manufacturing the new Pixels too? I would love a Pixel with minimal bezel.
No. This year Pixels will be manufactured by HTC again. Maybe next year
How do you know this?
they signed multi year contract.
He was there at the contract signing.
If that’s truly the case then I’ll pass on the Pixel 2 too. Glad I preordered the S8.
Kinda pointless to pass on it prior to seeing it. Good designs the entire phone, HTC will just put it together and regardless of opinions on HTC they have excellent build quality.
Nope, not pointless. If I want an iPhone clone, which is all HTC seems to be able to build, then I’ll buy an iPhone.
Google designed the Pixel, not HTC. HTC simply manufactured it, and made it look exactly how Google told them to.
Think it’s a 3 year deal
And they’ll be based on the HTC U Ultra’s design since HTC will have so many leftover…
I don’t think it matters who manufactures them. With the Pixels, Google is designing it and selecting all the parts. They just use another company to put it all together.
Nah. They got their panels from Sammy last time
I hope not. Bootloops may be a recurring joke, but LG’s bootloops are a real problem.
My wife’s 15 month old Nexus 5x just got the dreaded LG bootloop over the weekend. Never again LG.
Thankfully Google’s support is awesome and supports the devices outside of warranty.
I wonder if the bootloops are coming from failed batteries. That is the main cause of bootloops in the OPO.
No, it’s their poor manufacturing of the motherboard.
Yeah that really sucks. I wouldn’t either.
Last time I had a phone with bootloops was the HTC Thunderbolt. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
So you only have possitive experiences with bootloops. That was the worst phone I’ve owned.
More like HTC Thundercrap. I still have PTSD from that phone.
LOL!
It could just mean that Google is taking a more Apple approach to their phones or that eventually they will no longer have a manufacturing partner. Get the best parts from different vendors and get someone like Foxconn to put the phone together.
does that include having a physical presence in lots of cities (in lots of countries) for easy customer service (and sales as well)? 🙂
no, and it will still be impossible to get one.
Google signed a 2-year manufacturing deal with HTC to build their Pixels. HTC will build Pixel 2.
Why not Samsung? I guess LG could use the revenue.
Because they want good screens.
lol LGs LCD screens aren’t anything special
We’re not talking about lg’s lcd screens. and the g6 looks pretty good.
Not to mention the 5 & 5X
Probably because Samsung has that huge order from Apple plus their own screen needs for 2017/18, can’t fit Google in too
It would supply them with a bunch more money. Them manufacturing Apples designed chip bright them a big chunk of their revenue
Because Samsung takes the best for themselves, and Apple is using Samsung supplied screens, too.
yes Apple uses their displays. Not sure why that needed to be brought up. Apple will get the same displays but hopefully calibrate it better.
They usually do.
It’s the number of displays that Apple will get. iPhone sales dwarf those of the Pixel, obviously, so with limited supply Google could be left with supply issues again if they can’t get enough displays from Samsung.
His Apple using Samsung display comment being “brought up” has relevance to YOUR original comment of “why not Samsung”… idiot!
There was no anti Apple negativity in his post. He was simply sharing an opinion that maybe Samsung doesn’t currently have the manufacturing capacity to take on a new display customer while still meeting their own Galaxy demand plus Apple’s.
So funny how you always feel the need to rush to the defense of Apple, so much so that you try to mount a defense when there isn’t even any “attacking” going on.
Because LG makes some of the best OLED screens on the market?
Hopefully that translates to the phone displays, because the LG OLED TVs look superior to Samsung’s televisions.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I’ve never been impressed with LG’s LCD TV’s and so I wasn’t surprised when their LCD panels weren’t the best of the best, but their OLED TV’s are face meltingly good so the chance that their experience there translates over to their phones is high.
True, but if that were the case, why haven’t they used their OLED tech in any of their phones yet? The G6 would have been the perfect device to show off some awesome new OLED display, but they stuck with LCD again. I find it rather curious.
If I had to guess, I’d say cost.
That’s quite possible. If that’s actually the case, and Google is throwing a billion dollars to them to help with screen tech, then hopefully they can bring that LG OLED awesomeness to our phones, starting with the Pixel 2.