Rollable OLEDs - 2025 snapshot as Samsung and Visionox starts producing rollable panels

Rollable OLED displays are highly exciting, as theoretically this technology could enable devices that have similar function to the current crop of foldable OLED phones (i.e. small displays that open up to larger ones) - but enable new design for devices that could be thinner and more desirable.

In this article we'll discuss why rollable OLEDs are more challenging to produce compared to foldable ones, look into the current status of the rollable OLED industry, update on Samsung Display's and Visionox's first rollable OLEDs, and speculate on the future of this technology - and what would it mean to the industry and to supply chain companies.

Rollable OLEDs - why are they so challenging?

Foldable OLEDs have been realized years ago, and some people believed that the move to rollable screens will be relatively easy - the folding radius of foldable displays can be smaller than that of a rollable ones - if you take a piece of paper and fold it, the damage to the paper is more severe than the damage you inflict when you roll it!

But there are several reasons why rollable OLEDs are so challenging to commercialize. One such issue is the accumulation of slippage. The more you roll a display, the more tension there is inside the different layers of the OLED. This shear force can lead to layers peeling way and other undesirable problems. An OLED is different than a piece of paper because it is made from many layers. Another problem with rollable displays is that the tension you inflict is present on the entire OLED display, and combined with fast rolling speeds this can lead to very high and unpredictable stress on the display.