One of the coolest displays we saw at CES 2023 was a Transparent OLED display from LG. This screen can go completely blank, allowing you to see right through the display. And now it looks like the LG OLED T has gone from prototype to real product.
LG announced via press release that it is now showcasing its LG OLED T at Incheon International Airport as part of a broader “Visit Korean Heritage” campaign at the busy airport.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Transparent OLED display from LG — aside from the CES demo and this exhibit, LG Transparent OLEDs have been used at the Guggenheim and the Smithsonian among other places. However, the prevalence of the OLED displays in this Incheon campaign is noticeable. The entire facade of the Tourist Center is covered in the Transparent OLEDs as well as the pillars within the center.
While this new OLED display technology probably won’t be used on the best TVs any time soon, it still looks absolutely stunning. It probably can’t replace windows either — that simply wouldn’t be practical — but when you look at the Tourist Center’s facade you start to wonder if maybe they could. It’s truly remarkable how LG has managed to combine the stellar picture quality of its OLED displays while still allowing you to see straight through the display with minimal opacity.
In the future, it would not be shocking to see this technology expand to other airports around the globe or even shopping malls as an alternative to current displays. LG says the displays are already used in subways in China and shopping centers in South Korea. Just don’t expect your next big screen to be completely see-through just yet. So far this seems to be largely a commercial-use display.
Other examples of LG’s Transparent OLEDs in the wild
Stacking together 18 Transparent OLED displays is seriously cool. So was the CES 2023 demo, where LG showed off the LG OLED T going Transparent enough that people watching it could see a fireworks display through their window that was behind the TV. And as we’ve already mentioned some U.S. museums have used the Transparent display as well.
Your next metro ride could see you looking at the news, weather and more rather than the dirty subway tunnel.
But the coolest demo of this breakthrough technology has to be the Suwon XR Bus 1795. This bus swaps its windows for Transparent LG OLED displays that allow riders to swap between present-day Suwon and Suwon in 1795 with ease. Not only does this highlight the numerous use cases for Transparent OLEDs but the durability of these displays as well. Surviving the roads is no small feat.
As mentioned, this bus isn’t the only public transport to feature LG Transparent OLED displays. Some subway cars in China have replaced their windows with Transparent OLED as have some overground trains in Japan. If Transparent OLEDs continue to expand into public transportation more, your next metro ride could see you looking at the news, weather and more rather than the dirty subway tunnel.
