Samsung Electronics has successfully developed a flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) with a diagonal length of 7 inches. This technology may one day be used in products such as electronic paper.

Although this type of display is similar in function to LCD screens used on TVs or notebooks, the materials they use are completely different-one uses rigid glass and the other uses flexible plastic.

Samsung’s new display has a resolution of 640×480, and its surface area is twice that of another similar product exhibited in January this year.

Several different technologies are now trying to become the standard for flexible, low-power display screens. Philips and the start-up company E Ink display fonts by integrating black and white microcapsule technology on a screen. Unlike LCD, E Ink’s display does not require a backlight, so it consumes less energy. Sony has used this screen to produce an electronic paper.

But at the same time, some other companies are also vigorously developing OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays that consume less energy than LCDs.

Samsung has invested a lot of money in the development of OLED technology and has already used this technology in some of its mobile phone products and TV prototypes. However, OLED is still a fairly new technology, and its brightness, durability and functionality have yet to be improved. In contrast, the many advantages of LCD are obvious to all.

This flexible LCD panel was completed under a three-year project development plan funded by Samsung and the Korean Ministry of Industry and Energy.