Flexible display shipments will increase 250 times in the next seven years

According to market research firm IHS, the flexible screen market will expand 250 times in the next seven years.

IHS says the global flexible screen market is currently 3 million units shipped, and that number will grow to 800 million units by 2020.

Meanwhile, the global flexible display market will grow from $100,000 to $41 billion in revenue.

In stage 1, the flexible screen will only have a flexible backing plate and cannot be bent or crimped yet.

The second stage can be used as a flexible and conformal material, but also can be molded into a curved surface.

Phase 3 will be a truly flexible crimp display.

In the fourth stage, the cost will be so low that it can be used as an alternative to paper.

Shipments of foldable smartphones will grow from 2m this year to 350m in 2020.

LGDisplay already has a prototype of a 5-inch OLED strong foldable plastic panel.

IHS expects OLED to lead the way in flexible display technology for the foreseeable future, with annual shipment growth of 64 percent through 2020.