OLEDs for laptops - introduction and industry news. - Page 4

TCL CSoT says that it will start producing OLED displays using an inkjet printing process in the second half of 2024. This is excellent news and good to know CSoT is still on track for initial production in 2024. The company says it will first target the IT and medical sector. 

The company says that the cost of producing OLEDs using its inkjet printed panels will be lower compared to the currently-used FMM based method, and its OLEDs will offer superior performance (in lifetime, mostly) as its process enables higher aperture.

Back in April 2022 it was reported that BOE started planning a 8.5-Gen IT AMOLED Line, to target the laptop and tablet markets. Following some delays, the company has now officially announced it plans and is set to start constructing the new fab.

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED (BOE panel)

BOE says that it will invest 63 billion Yuan (over $8.8 billion USD) to build the new fab in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China - where its first B7 6-Gen flexible AMOLED line is located as well. The new fab will use 2290x2620 glass substrates (which is usually referred to as 8.7-Gen) and will have a capacity of 32,000 monthly substrates. The fab will produce flexible and foldable AMOLEDs (on a polyimide substrate).

Evaluation services provider SGS has awarded Samsung Display's OLED laptop displays with its SGS Green Mark ECCS, HSA) following completion of a hazardous substance assessment.

SGS tested SDC's laptop OLEDs to precisely verify the presence of, and to quantify the volume of, over 300 hazardous substances of environmental concern which may be harmful to humans and the environment. This includes heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and others. Samsung Display’s OLED panels performed well, achieving low levels, below the HSA testing threshold.

Accoridng to Twitter (X) user Revegnus, the following is a leaked Apple roadmap, detailing the company's plans for OLED laptops, tablets and monitors:

As many already estimate, Apple will release the first OLED tablets next year, the iPad Pro 11" and 13". The next stage will only arrive in 2026, when Apple will ship a foldable 20.3" tablet, and two OLED laptops (MacBook Pro 14.2" and 16.2").

UBI Research estimates that 7.9 million AMOLED displays for IT applications (tablets, notebooks and monitors) will ship in 2023, growing to 31 million by 2027 (a CAGR of 41%). Apple's adoption of OLED screens starting in 2024 will fuel much of the demand.

OLED makers, led by Samsung, LG, BOE and Visionox are all expected to start producing IT OLED panels in existing 6-Gen production lines, and companies are also planning to construct new dedicated 8.5-Gen lines for IT applications.

LG Display announced that it has started to mass produce 17" 2560x1920 foldable OLED laptop displays. LGD applied a tandem stack architecture, to increase the lifetime of the OLED displays, to make it suitable for the demands of laptop use.

It is likely that the recently announced HP Spectre Foldable PC uses LG's new panels.

DSCC estimates that OLED revenues in 2023 will be $36.1 billion - down 13% from last year. Just a few months ago DSCC's forecast for 2023 was $38.9 billion. This is the second year that the OLED market is contracting. In terms of shipments, there will be a 5% decrease in 2023. Looking forward to 2024, DSCC sees the market starting to recover, as demand for IT displays, TVs and smartphones will increase.

Looking at specific markets in 2023, DSCC says that OLED smartphone shipments will remain flat, but will drop 11% in revenues - as the demand for higher-end flexible displays is lower than in 2022. The only positive is the foldable display market, where shipments will increase 33% in 2023 compared to last year. 2023 also experiences a big drop in demand for OLED TVs - DSCC sees shipments declining 31% in 2023. The same goes for laptop OLEDs - a 32% decrease in sales in 2023.

Japan Display (JDI) plans to start producing medium-sized OLED displays, to be used in tablets and laptops. The company hopes to start producing the first panels (which will be around 14-inch in size) by 2025.

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED (BOE panel)

Up until now, JDI focused on the production of wearable OLED displays, selling its panels for Apple's smartwatches since 2019. The company's production volume was limited, and so was its technology capabilities to increase production panel sizes. It will be interesting to see whether JDI hopes to also supply its future laptop/tablet panels to Apple.

Market research firm Omdia says that according to its latest forecast, the OLED market will grow at a CAGR of 11% from 2022 to 2030, by total display production area.

The main OLED application is smartphone displays, and Omdia says that in 2022 the penetration of OLED displays into that market reached 42%. The market share of OLED smartphones will rise steadily in the future. The OLED TV market is experiencing a slowdown, but Omdia says it will resume growth in 2024.

DSCC says that OLED panel revenues will decline 7% in 2023 (to $38.9 billion), the second consecutive year that the OLED market is seeing a decline in sales. The largest declines will be in the OLED TVs and laptops segments.

The OLED smartphone market will actually grow 4% in unit sales, but revenues will decline 5%. The OLED TV market will decline 29% in 2023 in both revenues and units. OLED laptop unit sales will decline by 15%. All other segments, including AR/VR, automotive and tablets, will grow in sales and revenues in 2023.