VR

There's an interesting report in Korea that claims that Apple is developing an entry-level MR headset, and is looking to adopt TFT based AMOLED displays, as opposed to the currently-used OLED microdisplays. It is reported that both JDI and Samsung are in talks with Apple, and have been requested to develop lower-cost TFT AMOLEDs with a pixel density of 1,500 PPI (down from 3,400 PPI high-end Sony microdisplays used in the Vision Pro).

It is understood that JDI has already developed the technology and produced 1,500 PPI samples for Apple. Interestingly it is reported that the JDI displays uses Sony's technology, although it is not stated which technology exactly. Samsung meanwhile is also developing 1,500 PPI AMOLEDs at its A2 fab. Apple's target is to release the headset at around 2026-2027 and by then it is likely that more OLED producers (such as LG Display) will develop similar displays. 

During the company's 2024 Innovation Partner Conference, BOE unveiled its latest OLED microdisplay. The display is a 0.9" 4K (6020 PPI) panel, that is based on a tandem OLED architecture. It achieves a maximum brightness of 5,000 nits.

BOE has also unveiled ultra-light (150 grams) VR glasses based on these displays. It is not clear whether this is a product that BOE aims to commercialize, or a reference design, or a product produced by one of its partners.

According to reports, Meta has decided to cancel one of its VR projects that was planned for 2027. This device was to be a high-end product, similar to Apple's Vision Pro - with a similar high price tag. Following the poor market reaction for Apple's Vision Pro, Meta decided to scrap the project.

The original Oculus Rift

Meta was planning to use OLED microdisplays in its upcoming high-end headset, as these are the best performing displays for such products. It is reported that one of the reasons that Meta is not proceeding with its project is the high price of the OLEDs. These are expensive displays indeed - according to some estimates, Apple is paying $350 for each display, which means around $700 for each headset. On the other hand, it is estimated that OLED microdisplay prices are set to drop sharply in the near future as new capacity comes online, and new players (including Samsung and LGD) start producing displays. 

Samsung Display demonstrated a new OLED microdisplay at K-Display 2024, a 1.3" 12,000 nits 4000 PPI display. It is not clear whether this display is a direct-emission display, or one that uses white OLEDs with color filters.

Samsung Display's CEO, Choi Joo-seon, said during the conference that SDC will soon commercialize OLED microdisplays based on eMagin's direct-patterning deposition technology (SDC acquired eMagin in 2023). Choi says that the price of OLED microdisplays is an important differentiating factor. Last week Omdia estimated that the price of OLED microdisplays is set to decline sharply in the near future.

According to reports from Korea, Microsoft has signed an agreement with Samsung Display for the supply of OLED microdisplays for a future MX device, that Microsoft plans to launch in the future (likely 2026 or later).

Microsoft agreed to order a few hundreds of thousands of units of Samsung's OLED microdisplays. Samsung Display is collaborating with Samsung System LSI, that will design the CMOS backplane, which will be produced by Samsung Foundry. Samsung Display will handle the frontplane OLED deposition and encapsulation.

According to a report from Korea, Apple has sent an RFI for both Samsung Display and LG Display, seeking more information about the two companies capabilities regarding the production of OLED microdisplays. It is speculated that Apple is seeking to change its OLED supplier in a future, lower-cost VR headset.

Apple specifically mentions a white OLED with color filters architectures (i.e. not a direct-patterned device), a panel size of 2 to 2.1 inch and a display density of around 1,700 PPI (which is rather low, Sony's 4K microdisplays used in the Apple Vision Pro for example offer a density of almost 3,400 PPI).

Lumicore showcased its groundbreaking 1.32-inch OLED microdisplay at SID Displayweek in San Jose, a digital-driven silicon microdisplay that represents a substantial advancement in the field of micro-OLED displays. This innovation promises improvements in display quality, power consumption, and production yield, making it highly suitable for AR and VR/MR applications.

Lumicore's expertise lies in its digital driving technology, which precisely controls pixel brightness in Micro-OLEDs through Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). This approach maintains a constant voltage across the OLED, preventing substantial fluctuations in current and brightness due to minor voltage changes.Compared to traditional analog driving, digital driving effectively mitigates noise interference, offering higher grayscale modulation accuracy, faster screen refresh rates, lower circuit power consumption, and reduced manufacturing costs, thereby revolutionizing the conventional technology.

Japan-based Sharp Corp, an LCD display industry pioneer, announced that it will stop all of its large-area LCD production by the end of 2024. Sharp's Osaka-based factory was the last LCD TV fab in Japan, and it will be turned into a data center run by its subsidiary Sakai Display Products Corp.

Sharp says that its current midterm plans are strengthen its home appliances and office equipment businesses, by incorporating AI technologies. It also plans to sell its semiconductor business. Sharp says it will focus its remaining small/medium LCD display business on the automotive and VR sectors.

The display industry's premier event, Displayweek, is over. We will now collect our notes, thoughts, photos and images and will share it all in the coming days. In the meantime, we'd like to detail some initial impressions.

Generally speaking, it seems as if the display industry is going through a phase of relatively little innovation, especially with the mature LCD and OLED industry segments. While it has been a very busy week, and attendance at the event seems high, the number of actual demonstrations and prototypes was not stellar and compared to previous years, the booths were smaller and some companies skipped the event this year or preferred to only show their latest displays in private settings. Some thoughts we have:

In February 2024, Apple started to ship its VR headset, the Apple Vision Pro, with its two Sony 1.3" 4K OLED microdisplays. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a respected Apple analyst, the market reaction to Apple's HMD was much lower than expected, and Apple decided to slash its production plan from 800,000 units in 2024 to about 400,000. 

The Vision Pro has been shipping in the US only, but it seems the company prefers to cut production rather than start to ship the headsets globally - a sign that it does not expect demand to be higher outside of the US. According to Kuo, Apple is likely to cancel its plan to release a new version in 2025.