Flexible displays are thin electronic display screens made of plastic or other flexible substrates. They are lightweight and foldable, and can be rolled out or bent without losing their display capabilities. The added flexibility also means that these newfangled displays are pretty durable.
Many industry participants are working towards developing flexible displays, which is generating pretty high demand for the new technology and spurring a projected CAGR of 107.2 percent from 2014-2019.
Flexible displays for smartphones
In 2014, smartphones had the highest contribution to shipments in the global flexible display market. While demand for flexible display-based smartphones in still relatively low, the use of plastic films instead of glass is expected to increase their demand. And since smartphones have the highest penetration compared to other mobile devices, the use of these new displays in the smartphone segment are expected to increase consumer awareness of the product.
Flexible displays for TVs
LG introduced OLED-based curved TVs in 2014, which was a milestone in the global flexible display market. At the moment, these TVs come with an impressive price tag, but the price is expected to drop, which will ultimately increase sales over the projected period.
Flexible displays for tablets
The main focus for vendors designing and developing flexible displays for tablets will be on the development of ultra-thin and unbreakable panels. On top of that, features like low weight, flexibility, roll-ability, and the ability to display more content will all be significant factors that could impact whether flexible displays for tablets will catch on or not.
Flexible displays for notebooks
Development of flexible displays for the embattled notebook segment has been slow. At the moment, a lot of consumers are opting for the more novel tablets in place of notebook computers, which has severely decreased sales in this area.
Manufacturers are worried that, even with the incorporation of flexible displays, notebooks will have low demand compared to smartphones and tablets, making the contribution of the segment to the global flexible display market relatively small during the forecast period. In most cases, the risk to manufacturers is too great to really delve into developing flexible notebook displays.
Flexible displays for everything else
Other applications for flexible displays run the gamut from smartwatches to digital signage to e-readers. At the time, the contribution from this segment fragmented, but analysts expect that the aforementioned applications will likely emerge as some of the key contributors to the market during the forecast period.
