Flexible OLEDs: introduction and market status
OLED is an emerging display technology that enables beautiful and efficient displays and lighting panels. OLEDs are already being used in smartphones, laptops, wearables, tablets and TVs, and many of OLEDs are flexible ones.
A flexible OLED is based on a flexible substrate (usually polyimide). The first generation of OLEDs produced on these were not really flexible from the user perspective. The device maker bends the displays, or curves it - but the final user is not able to actually bend the device. These first-gen flexible OLEDs are adopted many premium smartphones, for example the Samsung edge-type Galaxy phones or Apple's latest iPhones. A plastic-based OLED has several advantages especially in mobile devices - the displays are lighter, thinner and more durable compared to glass based displays.
Second generation flexible OLED displays can be bent by the user - these can be used for example to create foldable smartphones - the first range of which started shipping in 2019 and today these are quite popular. Rollable OLEDs are likely to enter the market soon, offering the ability to create scrollable devices. In 2019, LG launched the world's first rollable OLED device - the 65" Signature OLED TV R but in 2024 it discontinued this device as its price was too high for consumers. A new wave of rollable OLEDs are on the way, for automotive, laptop and may also smartphones soon.
Where to buy flexible OLEDs?
While several companies (including Samsung, LG, BOE and others) are producing OLED displays, it is not straightforward to find a good and reliable supply of these displays.
If you are interested in buying a flexible OLED panel for your project or device, look no further. Our OLED Marketplace offers several flexible OLEDs, which can be ordered through us with ease.
Further reading
Sigmaintell: the global OLED smartphone market rose 4.7% in Q1 2026, to 202 million units
LG Display shows a wide range of new OLED displays and technologies at SID Displayweek 2026
LG Display is showcasing a wide range of OLED displays and prototypes at SID Displayweek 2026. In this article we detail the most interesting demonstrations and technologies.
First up, is LG's 3rd-Gen Tandem OLED, these are AMOLED displays, aimed towards the automotive market. LG says that it has introduced two new technologies into its tandem stack - a deep-blue dopant and optimized hole and electron movement. It isn't clear exactly what LG refers to, but it does say that these new technologies enable tandem OLEDs with improved power consumption (18%), brightness (1,200 nits), lifetime (over 15,000 hours) and color purity and reproduction.
Reports suggest Apple and Samsung are developing a quad-edge-curved OLED for the iPhone 20
In 2027 Apple will release its 20th iPhone model, and it is reported that the company is working with Samsung to develop a special OLED display for the new device, which may be called the iPhone 20 - or the iPhone XX.
A Quad-curved iPhone (AI render)
The new display is said to offer a polarizer-free (COE) architecture, a "micro-curved" flexible AMOLED that will curve on all four sides, and under-the OLED Face-ID and camera.
Omdia: AMOLED smartphone display shipments are expected to decline by 7% in 2026
Omdia says that AMOLED smartphone display shipments are expected to decline by 7% in 2026 amid rising memory prices and increasing market uncertainty. Both flexible and rigid OLED shipments will decline.
Omdia expects 778 million smartphone panels to ship in 2026, down from 836 million in 2025. Flexible AMOLED shipments will decline for the first time in seven years. Rigid (glass-based) OLED shipments declined in 2025 as well, as smartphone vendors prefer using flexible OLEDs as production prices are dropping the technology gap is closing.
Reports suggest Apple reduces its foldable OLED orders from Samsung, signs an exclusive agreement
Apple is moving forward with its first foldable OLED iPhone project, that will launch later in 2026, and it was previously reported that the US company has ordered 13 million units from SDC towards the end of 2025. Apple originally ordered 11 million units, but has recently added 2 million more as it anticipates high demand for its new device.
But now we hear a different report from Korea. Apple is actually highly cautious, and has decided to reduce its order to only 3 million units in the first batch. Apple seems to want to advance slowly and gauge actual demand before it moves to produce more devices.
Remember LG's rollable smartphone that almost launched in 2021? You can now watch a teardown of one of the prototypes produced back then
Some years ago LG Electronics aimed to be the first company to release a rollable smartphone, hoping to launch it by the end of 2021. Later in 2021 LG Electronics closed its smartphone business, and the rollable OLED phone project was scrapped.
We're still waiting for the first rollable smartphone - which will hopefully happen soon (at least rollable laptops are now shipping, although these aren't real consumer products yet, seems). An interesting video review surfaced today, showing a teardown of a prototype LG Electronics rollable OLED smartphone - the one that almost shipped.
Korean researchers develop a flexible OLED patch for the treatment of chronic dermatitis
Researchers from Kyung Hee University, in collaboration with colleagues from Gachon University and TENTECH Inc., have developed a flexible OLED patch that shows promise for chronic dermatitis phototherapy treatment.
The researchers developed a device that includes a flexible OLED and flexible battery that exhibits excellent mechanical flexibility, adhering intimately to the skin while maintaining a safe temperature range of 20 °C at 5 mW/cm2, stable operation for over 1,000 h, and high moisture resistance.
TCL CSOT files a lawsuit against Samsung, Walmart and Best Buy, saying they infringe upon its OLED patents
Samsung Electronics discontinues its tri-folding Galaxy Z FriFold smartphone
Back in December 2025 Samsung launched its first tri-folding AMOLED phone, the Galaxy Z TriFold. According to reports from China, the company has decided to discontinue it and will stop producing more devices.
Samsung does not plan to develop a successor to this phone. It is reported that the company never intended for this product to be mass produced, it was always meant to be a limited edition device.
Reports suggest Apple increased its foldable OLED panel orders by 20%
Apple is moving forward with its first foldable OLED iPhone project, that will launch later in 2026, and the US company has ordered 11 million units from SDC towards the end of 2025. According to the latest reports, Apple is getting more optimistic about the demand for its foldable iPhone, and has recently increased its order by around 20% (or about 2 million more panels).
The foldable phone also includes another AMOLED panel for the external display, so Apple ordered also 2 million more of these panels. According to earlier reports, the price of each foldable AMOLED is around $250 - which means that this new order amount to something around $500 million, bringing the total foldable iPhone orders so far to around $3.5 billion. This is good news for Samsung that is suffering from a weak smartphone display market in China.
