Conflicting reports regarding AU Optronics' OLED production status

There are some new conflicting reports regarding AUO's OLED program. According to Digitimes, AUO is still struggling with technology issues (mostly low yields and costs) - and has only managed to produce 126 PPI displays. It's possible that all through 2013 AUO will only be able to make these low density panels, and so only target the entry-level and mid-range mobile phone markets. According to digitimes high-resolution OLED panel orders will go to Samsung instead. Yields at the AUO line is still low at 30%-40%.

According to Chinese site OLEDW, however, AUO managed to overcome the yield issues (reached 60% yield), and HTC will use AUO's 4.65" OLED panels in their upcoming M7 flagship phone (Digitimes says that HTC decided to use Sharp-made LCD panels instead). These 720p panels will sport a high 317 PPI (this panel was unveiled by AUO back in October 2012). OLEDW claims that HTC requires a monthly supply of 2 million panels, and have reserved the entire line output of AUO's 3.5-Gen Linkou, New Taipei City fab (7,000 substrates a month, which is not enough for 2 million panels actually, so some of OLEDW numbers aren't correct). This was already reported several times in the past.

AUO's Gen-4.5 fab in Singapore (at AFPD) will start producing OLEDs in Q2 2013, and Sony and Nokia have already committed to buy OLED displays from that fab. The AFPD fab has a monthly capacity of 45,000 substrates, but it will only be partly converted to OLEDs (it will also continue to produce LTPS LCDs).

AUO is also working on larger OLED panels. Sony's 56" Oxide-TFT OLED prototypes unveiled at CES 2013 was jointly developed with AUO and reportedly these panels were being produced at AUO's manufacturing lines.

Sources: Digitimes(1, 2), OLEDW, gottaBeMobile (M7 details)