LG now mass-producing curved 6-inch smartphone display

LG Electronics has confirmed after months of speculation that flexible displays have now entered mass production. Specifically, the company’s display unit announced a 6-inch display made of plastic that is bendable and unbreakable according to a report from Reuters.

Sources close to the project say LG is planning to launch a smartphone with a curved display next month to keep pace with rival Samsung. Last month, Samsung said they would unveil a smartphone with a curved display in October. Their phone is expected to feature a display curved side to side while LG’s device will be curved top to bottom, sources claim.

Specifications show the display will weigh in at 7.2g and measures just 0.44mm thick. Many believe the device in question is the rumored LG G Flex which is expected to be a top-tier phone carrying a Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 graphics.

When the phone does launch – whatever name it takes – expect it to be in extremely short supply. Yields of curved displays are said to be extremely low. For example, LG will be doing good to turn out just 300,000 units per month. If the handset proves to be popular, that could be a serious issue.

When you consider Apple sold 9 million iPhones during opening weekend last month, it would take LG more than three months just to turn out a million phones at the current production rate. Do the math and well, it’d take a really long time to turn out that many devices.