LG’s New Stretchable Screen Makes Foldable Displays Look Boring

While LG’s stretchable display prototype measures 12-inches across, it can be stretched to 14-inches when required. Besides getting the ability to stretch, LG’s “free form” stretchable display can also be folded and twisted without the fear of distortion or damage, the company confirmed. LG is pretty vague in explaining the technology used to achieve this flexibility. LG’s blog post about the display refers to a “highly resilient film-type substrate” as the material used to make this panel. This is the same silicon-based material that is used to make contact lenses.

What makes the display even more interesting is that it doesn’t appear to be an OLED panel. LG confirmed that the stretchable display uses a micro-LED light array as a light source with a claimed pixel pitch of less than 40μm. In addition, this panel also uses a flexible S-form spring wired system that allows it to be flexible and durable at the same time. The 100 PPI resolution — while low by smartphone standards — is perfectly usable for larger gadgets, including laptops and monitors. However, given the low resolution of the display in its current avatar, the chances of making it to a smartphone remain low.

LG believes that its stretchable panel will open up entirely new ways of using displays. Its stretchable and foldable form factor allows it to be attached to unconventional objects ranging from clothes and skin to furniture and automobiles. While the company stopped short of giving us a time frame in which they expect this stretchable display to go mainstream, it did say that they intend to complete this project without much delay.