EverDisplay Optronics - Page 4

China-based AMOLED producer EverDisplay has recently demonstrated several flexible AMOLED prototypes at a trade show in China.

First up we the edge-type 5.5" FHD (402 PPI) AMOLED display, with a curvature radius of R6.5. The thickness of this display is 1.61 mm.

Digitimes reports that four of China's OLED makers (BOE, Visionox, Tianma and EDO) have stepped up their efforts to develop foldable OLEDs, and have all demonstrated foldable prototypes at the China Information Technology Expo 2018 (CITE 2018).

First up we have Visionox, with its 7.2" foldable panel you can see above. This was already reported last week.

Everdisplay is producing a range of AMOLED displays, for smartphones and wearables, and we have added three new EDO displays to our OLED Marketplace.

The three new displays are a 0.95" 180x120 AMOLED, a round 1.19" 390x390 AMOLED and a rectangular 1.41" 320x360 AMOLED. Let us know if you are interested in acquiring these displays!

Market analysts from DSCC say that the low utilization rates at Samsung Display has caused the company to delay its capacity expansion plans. SDC's decision to delay its A5 fab has already been discussed, but DSCC now says that Samsung is also significantly delaying the ramp-up at its new A4 line. DSCC estimates that SDC will delay this new line by at least a year.

LG Display has also reportedly cancelled the first phase of their next flexible OLED line, the P7 (which can be a conversion of LGD's old P7 LCD line). DSCC sees LGD ordering equipment for a new flexible OLED line only at the beginning of 2019.

Market research company Sigmaintell estimates that China-based display makers shipped 9.8 million OLED displays in 2017, mostly for smartphone applications. Everdisplay was the largest producer in terms of units, shipping 3.8 million displays (enjoying large orders from Huawei and Hisense), while Visionox was the top vendor in terms of display area shipped (30,000 square meters, out of a total 78,000 sqm produced in China in 2017).

Looking into 2018, Sigmaintell sees a large increase in production volume in 2018. Visionox landed orders from ZTE and Xiaomi and is expanding its production capacity, and BOE is also expected to increase shipments from its flexible 6-Gen AMOLED fab that will enter full capacity in Q2 2018. Finally, Tianma is also expected to increase production having won orders from Asustek Computer.

Air Products announced that it has been awarded a long-term contract with Samsung Display to supply nitrogen, oxygen and liquid argon to SDC's OLED manufacturing complex in Tangjeong, South Korea. Air Products has been supplying SDC's Tangjeong production line since 2004 and this new contract is a renewal of its current supply agreement.

A few days ago Praxair Inc announced that it has signed a long-term gas supply agreement with Shanghai's EverDisplay. Praxair will supply EDO with nitrogen, oxygen and Helium for its new 6-Gen AMOLED fab which will require 720 tons per day of Nitrogen. The bulk gas supply is scheduled to begin in mid-2018. EDO aims to start trial production at its new 6-Gen fab in January 2019 and mass production is expected in 2021.

DSCC estimates that 88 Million smartphone OLED displays were shipped in Q3 2017, which represents a 4% drop from Q2 2017 and a 13% drop from Q3 2016 - mostly due to delays in iPhone X shipments. Flexible OLED shipments were up 25% from Q2 2017 (30.4 million units).

Shipments are expected to grow significantly in Q4 2017, though, to reach 151 million units. Flexible OLEDs shipments (78.3 million) will grow 157% from last quarter and 544% from last year, and will surpass rigid OLED shipments (73.3 million) for the first time.

IHS analyst David Hsieh posted a very interesting article that discuss the global OLED industry with a special focus on China. Samsung is expected to retain its lead in this market - and will more than double its capacity between 2017 to 2022.

In five years (2022), Samsung will have a capacity to produce 16.6 million square meters of RGB OLED displays, or 52% of the global capacity. SDC will be followed by LG Display (11%), Tianma (6%), CSoT (5%), Visionox (4%) and EverDisplay (4%).

IHS says that SDC increased its lead in the smartphone display market, reaching a market share of 42.7% in Q3 2017. Samsung is followed by JDI (12.5%), LG Display (10.1%), BOE (8.8%) and Sharp (7.7%). The smartphone display market totaled $11.8 billion in Q3, a new quarterly high.

IHS says that OLED smartphone revenue reached a record high in the quarter - $5.11 billion (up 32.4% from the $3.86 billion in Q2 2017). SDC's market share in the OLED smartphone display market is 98.5% ($5.03 billion). IHS actually expects SDC's market share to increase slightly to 98.8% in Q4 2017.

In December 2016 China-based AMOLED producer Everdisplay officially launched production of its upcoming $4.1 billion 6-Gen AMOLED factory in Shanghai, China. Everdisplay's new fab construction is progressing, and EDO today held a ceremony noting that the company finished the building's main steel plant roof frame.

EDO's new fab will be able to produce 30,000 monthly substrates (1500 x 1850 mm) and will be used to produce small and medium sized flexible AMOLEDs (1 to 15 inch). EDO aims to begin installing equipment in August 2018 with trial production beginning in January 2019 and mass production in 2021.