When LG unveiled their new Gram Style notebooks last week the major surprise was the use of Samsung-manufactured OLED display panels instead of panels from their own LG Display subsidiary.
The new Gram notebooks, which come in 14-inch and 16-inch models, are impressive. They feature what is known as “Rigid OLED Glass” which is cheaper than buying OLED panels from LG Display, according to South Korean publication The ELEC.
Rigid panels use glass substrates and are cheaper than OLED panels which use plastic similar to the OLED found in several TVs that source their OLED panels from LG Display.
Samsung Display currently manufactures rigid panels at its A2 factory in South Korea.
Apparently LG Display doesn’t manufacture rigid OLED panels, which is why LG Electronics moved to a component from their arch rival.
Currently, LG Display, who last week reported a billion-dollar loss, use flexible OLED panels for Apple’s iPhones and Apple Watches as well as for premium vehicles such as BMW and Mercedes.
Sources say LG Display can manufacture rigid OLED panels using its flexible OLED panel production facilities but this is more costly than at production lines originally designed to make rigid OLED panels.
