South Korea’s LG Display Co. is planning to ramp up investments in organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) displays in an effort to fend off rivals in the emerging market.
The decision comes as Apple prepares to make the leap to OLED displays, which could happen as soon as 2017.
According to Bloomberg, LG Display Co. Chief Executive Officer Han Sang Beom acknowledged LG is late in making the change, but said the company will embrace what has become a “mega-trend” in the mobile space.
LG is up against stiff competition from fellow South Korean company Samsung, which may be planning to invest at least $5 billion in its display and semiconductor business, according to a separate Bloomberg report. Samsung is reportedly already in talks with Apple to become the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for its iPhone releases next year.
Han said LG will have to be careful in making the transition away from liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), since OLEDs currently only account for about 10 percent of the company’s revenue.
