IDTechEx predicted that the first foldable OLED displays would come to market in 2018, as covered in our report "OLED Display Forecasts and Technologies 2019-2029" .
Several companies are in the running, including Nubia, aiming to release a long thin OLED display in a wearable device in China this year. Samsung, Huawei and others are hot on their heels. Now Royole Corporation have entered the fray, announcing their foldable OLED display in a smart phone product, called FlexPai.
Source: Royole Corporation
The display is wrapped around one edge of the device, which can be unfolded to create a 7.8 inch screen. When it is folded, the display is sectioned into three screens - one on the rear, the front and a third on the side of the device.
The company intend to start shipping the device in late December.
IDTechEx expect to see the launch of many products in 2019 using a foldable display. There will be an inevitable period of consumer assessment; creating a device with a completely new form factor and creating the best possible user experience for it is no easy feat, but certainly the future direction of consumer electronic devices. IDTechEx find that the market size for foldable OLED screen modules will reach $2 Billion in 2022 (source: "OLED Display Forecasts and Technologies 2019-2029").
Royole Corporation will present on this device at the IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA event on November 14-15 in Santa Clara, USA. The presentation will also cover how the company have transitioned to mass manufacturing of flexible OLED displays. For more information about the event, see www.PrintedElectronicsUSA.com
