Mobile Display -LG Display said it will launch a new 0.7mm narrow bezel mobile display that boasts full HD (FHD) and with a bezel less than the thickness of a credit card it is targeting the smartphone market with its latest 5.3″ premium display.
To achieve this, the company has developed what it calls Neo Edge technology and uses in-cell touch to achieve full touch integration, even at the extreme edges of this new breakthrough display, according to LGD.
Part of the Neo Edge process described by the company includes an adhesive seal (not double-sided tape) that creates a “complete seal” over the total area of the display, including edges of the circuit board and LED backlight unit (BLU). Neo also contributes to the display’s thinness by eliminating the need for a plastic guide panel which is traditionally used in the LCD stack, the company said. Other Neo Edge benefits include better corrosion resistance over double-sided tape that should help with durability and longer product life, due to curing of the adhesive that helps with increased elasticity, according to LGD. The company said it expects to target sales in China’s smartphone market and will begin mass production of the panel in November 2014. LG was also named as one of the two display panel suppliers for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from Apple. The iPhone 6 Plus panel in particular won accolades from a recent DisplayMate shoot-out that called it simply the best mobile LCD made to date.
Part of the Neo Edge process described by the company includes an adhesive seal (not double-sided tape) that creates a “complete seal” over the total area of the display, including edges of the circuit board and LED backlight unit (BLU). Neo also contributes to the display’s thinness by eliminating the need for a plastic guide panel which is traditionally used in the LCD stack, the company said. Other Neo Edge benefits include better corrosion resistance over double-sided tape that should help with durability and longer product life, due to curing of the adhesive that helps with increased elasticity, according to LGD. The company said it expects to target sales in China’s smartphone market and will begin mass production of the panel in November 2014. LG was also named as one of the two display panel suppliers for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from Apple. The iPhone 6 Plus panel in particular won accolades from a recent DisplayMate shoot-out that called it simply the best mobile LCD made to date.
LG has been consistently improving in the development of ultra narrow bezel mobile displays. In July 2013, the company announced a 5.2″ 2.3mm bezel display (3X the width of today’s narrow bezel announcement) that was considered cutting edge at the time. This display also boasted a mere 2.2mm thickness that LG called “…the slimmest and narrowest mobile display for smartphones available”. To achieve this, the panel used its one-glass-solution (OGS) and a dual flexible printed circuit approach in the 1920 x 1080 pixel full HD display. Previously, the housing and screen mounts added to the overall thickness of the bezel, an eventuality which the company was able to avoid in its latest product announcement. This earlier version also used a touch overlay film adding to the overall LCD stack. Prior to this panel, in 2011 at CES LG announced its Optimus Black claiming it as the world’s thinnest Android Smartphone, that used the company’s Nova display.
Display Central Comment
LG’s announcement of its 0.7mm narrow bezel is at the cutting edge of mobile display technology. Its in-cell touch system and new Neo Edge adhesive technology are helping the company keep ahead of its keen competition, that includes Samsung with its focus on emissive OLED displays. Yet one more example of the moving target the entrenched LCD technology continues to deliver from leading suppliers like LGD, Sharp, Japan Display Inc. and the Taiwanese. – Steve Sechrist
