[Courtesy of Google]
US tech giant Google has reportedly proposed a strategic investment in LG's new production facilities in an apparent attempt to secure a stable supply of flexible OLED displays for its flagship "Pixel" smartphones.
The investment worth one trillion won ($879 million) is big enough for LG Display, one of the world's largest flat panel producers, to establish one flexible OLED production line, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing industry sources.
So far, Google has been dependent on Samsung displays for its OLD Pixel smartphone unveiled in late 2016 and the proposed investment reflects its moved to forge strategic ties with LG, Yonhap said.
Google has cautiously advanced into the saturated smartphone market by producing "Nexus" smartphones in joint operations. But the Nexus lineup was replaced with the Pixel series last year despite market skepticism about its quality.
Google has been recognized as a solid gadget manufacturer with the Pixel C, an Android tablet, and the Chromebook Pixel, a laptop pre-installed with Chrome OS.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
