Samsung shows off flexible OLED display

Electronics giant Samsung has successfully demonstrated a mobile phone with a flexible OLED display, though it will be a while before consumers can get their hands on this technology.

Recently demonstrated during the FPD International 2008, users opened the phone like a book to view the OLED screen in all its glory.  The flexible OLED screen is about 5-in. across and is seamless, which means it’s all one screen — not two different screens.

Samsung has not released technical specifications of the phone, and it will likely be years before a product is released to the consumer market.

A video clip with the OLED in action can be found here.

OLEDs have lower power consumption and higher screen quality than LCD screens, but the cost of development remains a serious problem.  Analysts expect the price of OLED manufacturing to decrease over the next couple of years, which should help drive adoption.

Samsung, Sony and several other companies have dabbled with flexible displays for a few years now.  Philips recently revealed its inbuilt E ink screen, which can be used in mobile phones to watch videos, surf the Internet, and view images.

The U.S. Army also is working with Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center, attempting to create a flexible display that is light and thin enough it can be rolled up so it can fit in your pocket.