LG Display has begun mass production of some larger Advanced In-Cell (AIT) touchscreen panels. Although aimed at the notebook market for now, the technology could eventually made its way to tablets, enabling thinner and lighter devices.
As already mentioned, the key part of LG’s latest displays in its AIT technology, which reduced the thickness of the display panel by integrating the TFT LCD and touchscreen layers into a single unit, rather than stacking the two on top of one another.
In-cell isn’t a new idea in the mobile market, by LG states that its latest version of the technology allows panel thickness to be reduced by around 1mm. That may not sound like a lot but that reduces the display size by 25 percent and up to 200 grams in larger panels.
A thinner distance from the backlight to the display surface also increases the brightness and color reproduction of the display. You may recognize the AIT name from a previous display launch, as LG is already using this technology in its LG G4 flagship smartphone.
LG is not the only company working on improving its in-cell display technology. Last month Sharp announced that it has begun mass production of its own in-cell displays for smartphones.
LG’s latest panels are designed for 14 and 15.6 inch notebooks, to capitalize on the launch of Windows 10. But as LG Display already has a similar 5.5-inch panel in production, we will hopefully see some intermediate screens for tablets appear in the future as well.
Show Press Release
LG Display Launches Lighter and Slimmer LCD Panels with Advanced In-Cell Touch Technology for Notebook PCs
Seoul, Korea (July, 6 2015) – LG Display, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will start mass production of Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT) panels for notebook PCs, which will make the devices drastically slimmer and lighter, in the second half of this year.
The new Full HD LCD panel incorporating the ‘In-Cell’ touch function is an exclusive development by LG Display. The AIT is an advanced in-cell touch technology that employs a touch sensor embedded within the LCD panel, replacing the ‘add-on’ type that places the touch panel on top of the LCD.
The panels with the AIT technology have earlier been introduced for smartphones such as LG G4. It is the first time the technology is being applied to larger size devices such as notebook PCs.
The technology eliminates the space needed for a touch function cover glass, and as a result reduces the panel’s thickness by 1 millimeter (approximately 25 percent) and its weight by 200 grams (approximately 35 percent) compared to a conventional 15.6-inch touch-embedded panel with Full HD resolution. It also offers a brighter and clearer screen picture since there is no light loss or light reflection caused by the cover glass. In addition it features an excellent touch response and precise calibration of the touch point even with water drops on the screen.
In response to enthusiastic customer feedback about the ultra-slim and light LCD panel for notebook PCs, LG Display has already agreed to supply 15.6-inch and 14-inch panels to several global notebook PC brands, and the company is engaged in active discussions with customers to supply different panel sizes.
Expectations for LG Display’s new notebook PC panel are anticipated to soar since the industry is gearing up for the expansion of touch embedded products, especially with the launch in the second half of the year of the Window 10 operating system, which is optimized for touch functions.
LG Display is also working on an AIT-based panel for pen touch functions. The pen touch function is particularly essential for consumers using two-in-one PCs that combine tablet and laptop functions, which involves writing with a pen while consumers hold the product.
Mr. Byeong-Koo Kim, Vice President and Head of the IT/Mobile Development Group at LG Display, said, “The AIT technology is the most optimized and best solution to lead the touch embedded notebook PC market as it delivers excellent touch response as well as offering an ultra-slim and light design.” He added, “LG Display will continue to develop products that offer the best user experience, such as QHD high resolution panels and the pen touch function products.”
According to market search firm IDC, 10 percent of global notebook PCs in 2014 were touch function embedded, and the market is expected to rapidly increase up to 20 percent in 2016 and 30 percent in
2019.
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About LG Display
LG Display Co., Ltd. [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220] is the world’s leading innovator of display technologies including thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD), OLEDs and flexible displays. The company manufactures and provides display panels in a broad range of sizes and specifications primarily for use in TVs, notebook computers, desktop monitors, and various other applications including tablets, mobile devices. LG Display currently operates fabrication facilities in Korea and China, and back-end assembly facilities in Korea, China, and Poland. The company has a total of approximately 50,000 employees operating worldwide. For more news and information about LG Display, please visit www.lgdisplay.com
