Researchers from the the University of Michigan developed a new class of phosphorescence OLED emitters that do not contain heavy metals. The metal was replaced with a new hybrid material. The researchers collaborated with colleagues from Inha University, and Sungkyunkwan University.

In current phosphorescence  OLEDs, the emitters include a heavy metal, in most cases either iridium or platinum. These heavy metals generate a magnetic field that forces the same spin direction excited electron to turn quickly, resulting in faster light emission as it returns to its ground state. The researchers replaced the heavy metal with a 2D layer of molybdenum and sulfur near a similarly thin layer of the organic light emitting material, achieving the same effect by physical proximity without any chemical bonding. 

UBI Research says that shipments of small OLED panels rose to 247 million units, up 7.8% from the previous quarter (and up 32.6% from Q3 2023), mainly driven by increase in shipments by LG Display and Everdisplay.

LG Display shipped 17.6 million smartphones panels in the quarter, up 64% from Q2 and 12.2 million wearable OLED panels (up 147%) - thanks to strong shipments to Apple. In total LGD's AMOLED shipments grew 74% quarter to quarter, and 115% from last year. UBI expects LGD to continue and increase its shipments in Q4. The company is almost at full capacity and UBI says the company may decide to expand the capacity at one of its existing 6-Gen fabs.

UBI Research says that Samsung Display's medium and large OLED panel shipments in Q3 2024 were the same as in the previous quarter. Shipments of tablet OLED devices were low, but this was offset by increased sales of automotive displays. Compared to 2023, total medium and large OLED panel shipments more than doubled, mainly due to increased sales of tablet panels to Apple, and increased laptop OLED shipments.

UBI estimates that SDC's tablet PC sales decreased by 38% compared to the previous quarter. Automotive OLED shipments rose from 100,000 units in Q1 2024 to around 500,000 in Q3. 

There is an interesting (but unverified) report out of Korea that Apple has chosen Tianma to be its exclusive OLED display supplier for a next-generation HomePod smart speaker device, the first one with a display. The OLED HomePod will be released in 2025.

Rumors about a HomePod with a display started surfacing last year, then suggesting that the display will be a 7-inch LCD, indeed supplied by Tianma. But these new rumors suggests that Apple has opted for a higher-quality LTPS AMOLED display, sized 6.7-inch.

According to Omdia, Korea regained the top position in the AMOLED market in Q2 2024, after China surpassed Korea in Q1 2024 for the first time.

Omdia says that both Samsung Display and LG Display enjoyed increased sales of high-end AMOLED displays for IT devices (laptops and tablets), and held a market share of 49.9% in Q2 2024, while Chinese OLED makers (Visionox, BOE, Everdisplay, Tianma and CSoT) held a market share of 49%.

UBI Research estimates that Apple suffers from poor demand for its iPad Pro devices, and the company has reduced its orders from LG Display and Samsung Display. We heard signs of that already back in August.

UBI estimates that LG Display's medium to large sized OLED panels shipments decreased 34% in Q3 2024, compared to the previous quarter. Samsung Display's tablet OLED panel sales dropped 38% in the quarter. Samsung however enjoyed higher sales of automotive OLEDs, which means that its entire medium-to-large sales were flat in the quarter.

Omdia has updated its Apple iPad and Macbook display roadmaps, with new forecasts and information about Apple's OLED adoption plans in its IT product lines. 

According to Omdia, Apple's iPad Mini will get a 8.4-inch LTPS OLED display in 2026. In 2027, Apple will also introduce OLED displays in its iPad Aid models (11-inch and 13-inch). In 2028 Apple will revamp the OLED displays in its iPad Pro models, offering a tandem architecture, polarizer-free OLED design and LTPO backplanes.

Japan Display announced a new strategic partnership with Taiwan-based Innolux and CarUX (Innolux's automotive display company) to bring eLEAP OLED displays to the automotive market. 

The three companies did not disclose a lot of details, but it seems as in this partnership JDI will produce the eLEAP OLED displays while CarUX will market and sell these displays to its automotive customers. The first display that JDI will produce will be a 32" 1,000 nits 6460x880 (205 PPI) AMOLED display on an HMO (high-mobility oxide) backplane.

Omdia released its latest OLED market forecasts, and the company says the small/medium (1-inch to 8-inch) OLED shipments will surpass one billion for the first time in 2025. 

In the smartphone market, Omdia says that there has been significant growth, mainly driven by Chinese OLED producers (BOE, CSoT, Visionox, Tianma and Everdisplay). In addition to the growth in smartphone displays, OLED are expanding into new applications, including AR/VR and automotive displays.

There's an interesting report from Korea's The Elec that details Visionox's upcoming $7.6 billion 8.6-Gen IT AMOLED production line in Hefei. It turns out that Visionox looks into using its ViP maskless OLED production process, for at least some of the panels at its upcoming V5 line.

The V5 production line will have a capacity of 32,000 monthly substrate, with 16,000 in the first phase. It is estimated that around a quarter of that capacity will use the company's ViP process (which could be good news for Applied, the supplier of the ViP deposition equipment). This could become the world's first production line for maskless AMOLED production.