OLED is an emerging display technology that is fast becoming the mainstream display technology in many markets, as OLED enables display panels that offer the best image quality and free design as they can be made flexible and transparent. The Samsung OLED displays are considered to be the best in the industry and the Korean company is the clear lead in AMOLED production for mobile devices.
Over the pay years Samsung invested billions of dollars in OLED research and production facilities as the company sees OLEDs fast replacing LCD displays in all mobile applications.
Samsung AMOLED displays
Samsung is currently producing over 300 million AMOLED displays in a year, used mostly in smartphones - such as Samsung's own Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge ) - but also in smartphones from Gionee, Meizu, Acer, HP, Vivo, Microsoft, Lenovo, ZTE, Hisense, Konka and others. Samsung also produces large mobile OLEDs for tablets, laptops and monitors.
In August 2013 Samsung launched the company's first OLED TV, the KN55S9C, which used a curved 55" OLED panel. The TV was priced at around $8999 in the US and Korea, but is no longer in production, and was never in real mass production. In 2022, Samsung returned to OLED TV production, and is now offering QD-OLED panels and its first such TV is the S95B.
Samsung flexible OLED displays
Following its initial flexible OLED production launch in 2013, and the huge success of its edge-type phones, Samsung is currently producing around 9 million flexible OLEDs each month to satisfy demand for the Galaxy S7 edge and its other flexible OLED products. Samsung has reportedly been chosen to supply 100 million flexible OLED panels to Apple's future iPhones.
Future Samsung OLED devices
Samsung is developing several next generation display technologies based on OLEDs. Samsung has been developing a foldable OLED device for a long time - which may dramatically change the mobile device market as it could enable smartphone to turn into tablets or phones that can be folded into smaller devices.
Samsung is also developing transparent OLEDs (see the company's 55" FHD transparent and mirror-type OLEDs here) for retail application, and also readies next generation displays for the automotive industry.
Several years ago Samsung released the following video, showing a concept transparent flexible AMOLED tablet device. It will be years before Samsung can commercialize such a display, but it's nice to see what the future holds:
Further reading
The latest Samsung OLED news:
Reports suggest Kateeva's printers failed Samsung's QD printing tests, will not be used for QD-OLED production
According to reports, Kateeva's QD-OLED printing project saga is not over. Samsung Display tested the company's latest printers, but these failed the tests and Samsung Display will not but these printers. SDC planned to replace the currently-used Semes' printers, which also suffer from low performance.
Samsung Display is also not committed yet to expand its QD-OLED production lines, which means that in any case it does not need to buy new printers for production expansion. Earlier reports suggested that SDC wanted to upgrade it current capability for higher density (to reach 8K TV printing), so this may be the reason behind the testing of Kateeva's new printers.
DSCC: OLED panel shipments increased in Q3, with strong shipments from Visionox, LGD and CSoT
DSCC reports that according to its information, OLED panel shipments in Q3 2023 increased 14% from last year (and 18% from the previous quarter) to reach 205 million units. There are positive signs that inventory has started to rebalance for some categories.
OLED smartphone shipments increased 12% over last quarter (and 25% from last year), while OLED TV shipments continue to be soft, and dropped 14% from last quarter and 40% (!) from last year.
Samsung to reportedly launch a high-end VR HMD powered by dual OLED microdisplays
According to reports, Samsung Electronics is working on a new VR headset that it plans to release in the second half of 2024.
The new headset will be based on OLED microdisplays, apparently produced by Samsung Display. The reports suggest the the microdisplays will be similar to the 1.41" 4K Sony OLED microdisplays used by Apple in its Vision Pro headset.
Apple finally approves BOE as an iPhone 15 AMOLED supplier, will order 2 million diplays in 2023
BOE has been trying to be accepted into Apple's supply chain for their latest iPhone devices for many years, but has so far succeeded only in getting small orders for aftermarket panels. In March it was reported that BOE is developing panels for Apple, but in September it was reported that Apple decided to cancel all of its panned orders for BOE's iPhone 15 display OLED panels due to technical issues, and has moved all these orders to Samsung Display.
Now it is reported in Korean media that BOE has been finally approved, and the Chinese-based OLED maker will supply 2 million panels for Apple - or only about 3% of its total OLED supply in 2023. Obviously BOE hopes to gain more orders in 2024.
Chosun: LGD and SDC will produce 10 million AMOLED displays for Apple's iPads next year, to start production in February
According to Chosun Biz, both Samsung Display and LG Display are progressing in their negotiations with Apple for the supply of OLED panels for Apple's next-generation iPad devices. Apple is aiming to buy around 10 million units in 2024, and each panel is expected to cost around 3 times as much as of Apple's iPhone OLED panels.
SDC and LGD are both planning to start production in February 2024, earlier than expected. The total capacity (at 10 million units) is still very small compared to the smartphone market (even considering the tablet display area is larger). The panels will be produced at the companies' existing 6-Gen lines. Chosun says that LGD will get 60% of the orders (6 million displays), and SDC will get the rest.
Samsung Display files another complaint in the US trade comission against BOE
Samsung Display filed a new complaint in the US trade commission (ITC) against BOE, claiming that the Chinese OLED producer is infringing on SDC's OLED patents and IP, and is using unfair methods of competition.
In January 2023 Samsung filed a motion with the US ITC to halt the import of aftermarket AMOLED displays produced by BOE. A group of OLED makers in China, which includes BOE, answered with a motion of their own, to dismiss an SDC AMOLED patent. This legal battle continues, and the tension between Samsung and BOE is on the rise.
Samsung Electronics reports its latest financial results, is optimistic about the mobile OLED market
Samsung Electronics reported its financial results for Q3 2023, with revenues of $50 billion, down 12% from last year, and an operating profit of $1.78 billion - down 78% than last year, but an increase over the previous two quarters. Samsung says that there are still macroeconomic uncertainties, but it sees a recovery in the memory market in 2024.
Samsung Display reports strong performance in the mobile panel business, as there's good demand for premium OLED smartphone panels panels, and it expects this to be maintained in the near future. The company also hope to expand its large-area QD-OLED panel sales, led by seasonal demand.
Samsung to bring AMOLED displays to its lowest-cost phone lineup
According to reports from Korea, Samsung Electronics has decided to adopt an AMOLED displays in its upcoming budget phone, the Galaxy A15. This will be the lowest cost Samsung phone to ever sport an OLED display.
Most of Samsung's entry-level phones use an LCD, but it seems that as prices of OLED panels continue to drop, Samsung is introducing its OLED into a wider range of phones. In fact it is said that Samsung's production cost of a rigid OLED is currently lower than the production cost of an equivalent LCD display. The A15 will use a 6.4" rigid (glass-based) panel, and the phone itself will cost around $270 when it launches next year, for the 5G variant.
The Elec: Samsung Display is interested in maskless OLED production processes, looking for an exclusive license
A report from Korea's The Elec publication says that Samsung Display is highly interested in next-generation OLED deposition technologies, that are not based on a metal mask (FMM). Several companies are developing and commercialization such technologies. As these may enable higher-performance OLED production, Samsung Display is interested.
A few months ago we reported that SDC is interested in SEL's maskless production technology, and indeed the new The Elec report states that the two companies are in talks. SEL is one of the three companies we are aware of that have advanced maskless technologies, the other two being Visionox and Japan Display. Samsung Display is mostly interested in a technology that it can exclusively license as it does not want other companies to produce OLEDs using the same technology. Both Visionox and JDI are interested in using their technologies in-house, which is a problem for SDC.
TrendForce: over a million OLED monitors to ship in 2024
TrendForce says that 508,000 OLED monitors will ship in 2023, up 323% from 2022. The market will continue to grow at a fast pace, to over a million shipments in 2024.
In 2024, TrendForce sees LG and Samsung both launching new OLED panels for the monitor market, which will help to expand the market. TrendForce further says that at the end of 2023, Samsung Electronics and LGE both hold a market share of almost 30%, Dell holds a market share of around 20% and Asus of nearly 10%.
