Korean tech giant LG has come to CES 2022 with a bunch of new types of display technology that it said will make transparent and/or flexible OLED displays more practical and possible than ever before.

Before diving into the particulars, it’ll help to have an understanding of what OLEDs are, namely LEDs that are able to produce their own light. Because OLEDs don’t need a backlight, new use cases, like transparent, flexible or ultra-thin display, have emerged, and OLED.EX is the technology that LG seems to be betting on to make its new products stand out.

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OLED.EX can reportedly boost brightness by 30% by using ” LG Display’s deuterium and personalized algorithm-based ‘EX Technology’,” the company said when it revealed OLED.EX in late 2021. It hasn’t been specific as to what deuterium and algorithms do to brighten as well as “enhance the stability and efficiency of the organic light emitting diode,” but if LG is to be believed, a 30% boost in the brightness of transparent screens would be pretty valuable.

It’s definitely betting hard on OLED.EX: LG plans to release all of its future OLED TVs from the second quarter of 2022 onward with OLED.EX screens, and will phase out regular OLED from its televisions.

What CES visitors can see at LG Display’s booth

Along with showing off its new OLED.EX technology, LG Display’s booth will also have several new implementations of its transparent OLED technology in action, which may push businesses to further invest if they have yet to see a good use case for their organization.

The most practically valuable to enterprises will be what LG is calling its Smart Window, which it said is designed to be overlaid onto a conference room window or other transparent surface (displayed above).

LG will also be demonstrating its Show Window technology, which has been increased from a single OLED display to four 55-inch transparent OLED displays, “maximizing the advertising potential of window displays,” LG said.

A Shopping Management Showcase (SMS), designed to fit inside a wooden display stand in “luxurious department stores,” the SMS “can display eye-catching visual content on the screen that harmonizes with the products on display behind to better grab the attention of shoppers and elevate the ambience of the place,” LG said.

Transparent OLEDs for subway windows will also be on display, showcasing their ability to “provide useful information regarding subway schedules, weather, and news all the while giving passengers a clear view of the outside scenery.” Hopefully that scenery includes something else besides subterranean tunnels.

A pair of immersive displays are being shown off as well, one for placing a stationary bike in a virtual riding space, and another for reclining in comfort while surrounded by a curved OLED screen equipped with Cinematic Sound OLEDs that LG said emit sound from the display itself.

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LG is also demonstrating a 17-inch folding laptop screen that it said is “almost entirely crease-free.” The screen can be optionally touch-sensitive, making it a new potential method for increasing productivity while away from a larger monitor at your home office.

Lastly, LG is showing off a new LCD technology it calls IPS Black that boasts a 35% deeper black level than its other IPS products. LG describes IPS Black as being designed for IT products, and will be rolling it out in a 27-inch UHD monitor on display at CES 2022.

LG’s new OLED Smart Window, as demonstrated at CES 2022.
Image: LG