OLED is an emerging display technology that uses thin films of organic materials to make efficient, thin and high quality displays. OLED panels can made flexible, rollable and transparent. Korea's LG is at the forefront of OLED development and production - as the world's leading OLED TV producer and a leading developer of flexible OLED for smartphones, wearables, automotive and more. LG's subsidiary LG Display is responsible for OLED R&D and panel production, while LG Electronics produces and markets OLED TVs.
LG OLED TVs
LG Display is the world's leading OLED TV panel producer, and LG Electronics is its largest customer - although LGD also supplies OLED panels to other companies including including Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Loewe, JVC, Hisense, Konka and others. OLED TVs are considered the world's best TVs, offering the best image quality. LG makes a wide range of OLED TV panels, ranging from 42-inch to 97-inch, including bendable solutions and even a rollable 65" TV.
While the basic OLED TV design uses RGB OLED sub-pixels to create each 'pixel' (what is referred to as direct emission OLED, the design used in mobile OLED displays used in Samsung's and Apple's smartphones, for example), LG Display opted for a different OLED TV design. The so-called WRGB (or WOLED-CF) architecture uses four white OLED subpixels with color filters on top (hence W+RBG). The WRGB technology (developed by Kodak and now owned by LG Display) is much easier to produce and scale-up, even though it has some technical disadvantages - and it is the technology that enabled LG to be the first company to actually produce commercial OLED TV panels.
LG Flexible OLEDs
LG currently produces flexible OLEDs (branded as pOLEDs), for both wearable devices and smartphones. LG is the leading supplier of AMOLED displays for Apple's Watch smartwatch and it also supplies OLED displays for smartphones. Click here for more information on LG's pOLED displays and its production capabilities.
LG is also the world's leading automotive OLED producer, and is already supplying flexible OLEDs to Cadillac, Mercedes, and others.
LG Transparent OLEDs
LG has been working on transparent OLEDs for many years. In 2014 LGD unveiled a 18" transparent OLED prototype, and later in 2016 LGD demonstrated transparent 55" FHD AMOLED display prototypes. In 2019, the company started commercial production of 55" FHD transparent OLEDs, finding small markets in signage, commercial, mobility and more.
Further reading
The latest LG OLED news:
Reuters - Samsung and LG finally sign a WOLED TV supply agreement, Samsung to buy 2 million OLED TV panels in 2024
LG Display has been negotiating a WOLED TV panel supply agreement with Samsung Electronics for a long time, and last year the company were close to an agreement, but discussions were halted in July 2022, and Samsung continued to launch its QD-OLED TV range. Last month it was reported that the two Korean companies are in talks again, and now Reuters says that LG and Samsung finally officially signed the supply agreement.
According to Reuters, LGD will start supplying panels to Samsung as early as this quarter (i.e. by the end of June 2023). Samsung agreed to order 2 million WOLED TV panels from LG in 2024, and this will grow to 3 million in 2025 and 5 million in 2026. The first panels will be 77-inch and 83-inch in size, but LG is likely to also supply smaller panels to Samsung.
A slowdown in Apple's laptop sales may delay Samsung's and LG's investment in OLED IT production lines
Samsung Display and LG Display are both gearing up to build 8-Gen AMOLED production lines, aiming to supply Apple (and others) with OLEDs for IT devices - laptops and tablets, mostly. Last month Samsung announced that it will convert an existing LCD line in Asan to OLED production, with an estimated cost of $3.1 billion.
According to a new report from Korea, the slowdown in Apple's laptop sales is a cause of worry for the OLED producers, who have delayed the plans to build the new fabs, and delayed equipment orders. The main problem for the OLED makers is that the slowdown in Apple's sales may drive Apple to want to low the price of the laptop displays, which would put a stress on the profitability of new OLED fabs.
LG reports its results for Q1 2023: decreased sales as demand is sluggish, delays P10 fab in Paju
LG Display reported its financial results for Q1 2023, with revenues of 4,411 billion Won ($3.3 billion USD), down 40% from the previous quarter and 32% from 2022.
The company says there is 'sluggish demand' for TV and IT products. The company plans to focus on automotive displays, smartphone OLEDs and IT OLEDs (mid-sized panels). LG also aims to increase its sales of OLED gaming monitor panels and transparent OLED displays.
DSCC: BOE's market share in flexible smartphone OLED displays rose to 27%
DSCC says that BOE's market share in the flexible (and foldable) smartphone OLED market has risen to 27% in Q1 2023. BOE flexible and foldable OLED panel sales grew 81% in Q1 2023 compared to last year, as the company enjoys growing sales to Apple, Huawei, Oppo, Realme, Vivo and ZTE. BOE is mostly taking market share from Samsung and LG, while Tianma's market share is also on the rise.
DSCC estimates that flagship smartphone shipments grew 17% in the first quarter, with flexible OLED smartphone shipments growing 18% and foldable ones growing 4%.
LG installs 32 transparent OLED displays at Korea's Incheon airport to show Korea's vibrant culture
LG Display announced a new transparent OLED campaign at Incheon Airport, to show Korea's vibrant culture to travelers from all over the world, and experience Korea's four seasons and folktales.
The installation includes several different displays. One is large wall made from 18 55" OLED displays, a large video wall that "conveys the delicate patterns and colorful hues of Korean traditional folktales while also creating a comfortable openness thanks to its high transparency". Theere are also a total of 14 transparent displays attached to pillars and walls inside Incheon Airport's Tourist Center, utilized to showcase various information such as local times and global weather conditions as well as welcome messages and enchanting videos showing off the "endless beauty of Korean nature".
LG Display and Samsung Display are both working on special glass-TFE OLEDs for Apple's future iPads
Apple's interest in OLED displays for future iPad tablet device is not secret, and many analysts estimate that the first such device will be released in 2024.
One of Apple's requirement is for superior performance for its tablets compared to smartphone AMOLED displays - and so developers are relying on a tandem OLED structure. According to a new report from Korea, LG Display is developing another unique technology for Apple's iPads.
Samsung and LG are again negotiating a WOLED TV panel supply agreement
LG Display has been negotiating a WOLED TV panel supply agreement with Samsung Electronics for a long time, and last year the company were close to an agreement, but finally halted discussions in July 2022, and Samsung continued to launch its QD-OLED TV range.
According to new reports from Korea, the two companies have resumed there negotiations, with Samsung interested in buying around 200,000 to 300,000 panels for next year's TVs.
A new version of OLED-Info's Automotive OLED Market report released
Today we published a new edition of our Automotive OLED Market Report, with all the latest information. The new edition includes three new car models, updates from Samsung, JDI and JOLED, new market forecasts and more. The adoption of OLED technologies by the automotive is accelerating and expected to continue in the future.
Reading this report, you'll learn all about:
- OLED advantages and challenges
- PMOLED and AMOLED displays adopted in cars today
- Why OLED lighting is exciting for car makers
- All about flexible and transparent OLEDs
The report package also provides:
- A directory of all OLED automotive display makers
- OLED lighting roadmaps
- Personal contact details into leading OLED produces
- Car concepts with OLED technologies
- Free updates for a year
This OLED Automotive market report provides a great introduction to OLED display and lighting solutions for the automotive industry. This is a great guide for anyone involved with the automotive market - car makers, suppliers and aftermarket solutions.
Omdia: small-size AMOLED display shipments down 6% in 2022
Omdia says that small-size (under 9") AMOLED display shipments dropped 6% in 2022 to 762 million units, due to lower demand for smartphones.
Samsung remains the leading AMOLED maker, with a 56% market share (by unit), down from 61% in 2021, with BOE in the second plane (12%) and LG Display in the third place (11%). The next producers by shipments are Visionox and Everdisplay.
LGD's OLED TV panels received Carbon Trust's Carbon Footprint Certification
LG Display announced that its 65-inch OLED TV panel received Carbon Trust's Carbon Footprint Certification.
LG says that its OLED TV panel meets the global standard (PAS 2050) on GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions throughout the entire product life cycle.
