Google wants LG's bendable OLED for next Pixel phone: Report
Google has offered to invest 1 trillion won to LG Display to ramp up production of flexible OLED panels for the US company to put in its next Pixel phone, South Korea media reports.
The deal will allow the search giant to secure OLED supply and the South Korean tech giant to reduce capex, ETNews said.
The invest volume and the supply deal may go up during talks, the report added. LG Display is said to be reviewing Google's offer. The proposed amount of 1 trillion won is enough for LG to build an additional line for flexible display production.
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Google did not offer tech specifications for the displays, according to the reports.
LG Display currently supplies small flexible OLED panels for the Apple Watch and LG Electronics' watch line-up but currently doesn't have the capacity to produce units for smartphones.
It is building two additional lines: E5 will likely start producing in the second half of this year and the E6 will go live next year.
Google launched the Pixel phone with OLED displays last year but faced problems securing the displays.
Bendable OLED displays are expected to be on multiple flagship phones. Apple has reportedly ordered 70 million units of the displays from Samsung Electronics to put on its next iPhone.
The newly unveiled Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have a bendable OLED panel and the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will likely have them as well.