Less than 24 hours after a leak seemingly confirmed that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will pack a gigantic screen, LG has confirmed long-standing rumors that its next smartphone will feature an OLED screen.
The Korean firm detailed some details of its next device, believed to be the V30, including its “plastic OLED FullVision display.” The six-inch screen will be the largest on a phone that LG has released for four years, the company said, but the actual device will be smaller than last year’s V20.
Why go with an OLED?
Well, screens are becoming a battleground for this year’s flagship smartphones, with the next iPhone rumored to be packing one. LG said it is keen to dip into its experience in screens — which has propelled its TV business — to enable virtual reality and other content-led services on mobile. It aims to do that with a 1,440 x 2,880 resolution display which, despite being plastic, is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and tech that mitigates past issues with OLEDs, such as burn-in, aka “ghost” images that are visible even when a screen is off.
This won’t be the first time LG has adopted an OLED — it put one into the experimental G Flex 2 released two years ago, but now the tech is stepping up to a prominent role. That makes sense given that LG just invested $7 billion into its OLED production capabilities. If you believe the Apple rumor mill, LG is the one selected to supply the iPhone 8’s OLED screen.