According to Korea’s ETnews, Samsung is ramping up production on its OLED displays and is going to reduce the number of LCD displays it produces and predicts that Samsung will start using OLED displays on their tablets and laptops. For the first time last year, the price to produce an OLED display was less than that of an LCD display. We already know that Apple is considering OLED displays for its iPads and iPhone, and Samsung is one of their suppliers, so it only makes sense for Samsung to plan for future demands. Many smartphone manufacturers have already made the switch – Moto models are starting to use OLEDs, as well as OnePlus, who jumped to an OLED display with its new OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T models. As production goes up and prices come down, we can expect to see more smartphone manufacturers following suit. OLED displays also provide superior contrasts and can even save a little on battery life, especially with the always-on display many devices are now using, so it makes sense that LCD usage will start to shrink.
Samsung started using their Super AMOLED display back in 2010 and have increased production every year since that time as sales have increased and the technology has improved. Samsung has pushed the OLED display to the prominence it enjoys today, and Samsung Display is the number one producer of 9-inch and smaller displays, followed by Japan Display, LG Display, Sharp, and Innolux. Because of the decrease in cost, many lower end smartphones may now start using OLED displays as well, only increasing the need for capacity. Another point of interest is how the Chinese market will handle their large OLED display needs, as they seem to be turning away from Samsung for Chinese manufactured OLED panels from Shanghai-based EverDisplay Optronics, Govisionox Optoelectronics, and Tianma Micro-electronics. Xiaomi, ZTE, and Coolpad have started buying from their homeland suppliers.
Samsung started with their curved displays on their Note Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy S7 Edge models and word on the street is that Samsung will not even offer a flat display on the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus. They are also working hard on a flexible/foldable OLED smartphone, which could be introduced in 2018 or 2109 – a smartphone-sized device that will open up to a small tablet-sized display. It could be a huge hit with a big price tag, but those displays will be here sooner rather than later.