Displaysearch

IHS DisplaySearch says that while the global smartphone display market is contracting, AMOLED shipments are growing. The main reason for that is Samsung Electronics' use of AMOLED displays in low-cost phones, and the adoption of AMOLEDs by several Chinese phone makers.

DisplaySearch estimates that AMOLED sales reached $2.4 billion in Q2 2015, up from $2.3 billion in Q1, $1.7 billion in Q4 2014 and $1.5 billion in Q3 2014.

Taiwan-based PMOLED maker Wisechip says that the company is the world's second largest PMOLED maker, and is now enjoying the surge in the PMOLED wearable market - due to its three-year long focus on that market.

Wisechip quotes IHS DisplaySearch that sees the PMOLED market growing from 53.5 million units ($368 million in sales) to over 70 million units (and almost $450 million in sales) in 2015. The volume growth will continue until 2018, while revenues will reach a peak in 2016 and then decline (due to lower average panel costs, evidently). Most of the growth will come from wearable devices and smart home applications.

DisplaySearch estimates that 35,200 OLED TVs were sold, globally, in the first quarter of 2015. This is a seven-fold increase from Q1 2014 (4,600 units). DisplaySearch says that the OLED TV market will grow from around 400,000 in 2015 to 7 million in 2019.

The current 35,200 estimate is actually lower than DisplaySearch's previous estimate of over 53,000 OLED TVs in the quarter. LG themselves aim to produce around 600,000 OLED TVs in 2015.

DisplaySearch says that the AMOLED market growth is accelerating, and the company's latest forecasts say that the market will grow from $10.3 billion in 2014 to just over $23 billion in 2022.

Most of the growth will be from the OLED TV market - which will grow from $400 million (2014) to over $9 billion in 2022. DisplaySearch previously stated that they believe that the falling prices of LCD TVs make it very difficult for OLED TVs to penetrate the market.

DisplaySearch says that they see an increase in high-end small/medium displays shipments in 2015. AMOLED displays, in particular, will grow 44% to reach 260 million units (up from around 200 million in both 2013 and 2014). The growth trend is expected to accelerate starting in 2016.

DisplaySearch says that this is mostly dues to increased high-end smartphone shipments - but AMOLED displays for the wearable market will also see increased shipments. Apple alone will probably buy over 10 million flexible AMOLED panels (produced by LG Display).

DisplaySearch says that the falling prices of LCD TVs make it very difficult for OLED TVs to penetrate the market. According to DisplaySearch, OLED TVs will not become profitable for LG Display before 2019.

DisplaySearch estimates that LGD currently loses $581.8 on each OLED TV sold. The OLED Business unit lost 535 billion Won ($491 million) in 2014. In 2019, they will still lose money - $159.9 on each TV sold. In 2019, OLED TVs will still be more expensive than LCDs. Quantum Dot TVs will also hurt OLED TV sales.

DisplaySearch estimates the worldwide smartwatch display market at $204 million in Q1 2015. The leading provider was LG Display - with over 90% of the market ($186 million). Other leading players are SDC (3.1%), Japan Display (2.4%) and Futaba (2.4%).

LG Display's lead is not surprising - the company is providing the flexible plastic-based OLED displays used in Apple's watch - and reportedly produced over 6 million panels for Apple, at $20 each. LG is also providing panels for LG Electronic's smart watches (including the G Watch R and the Watch Urbane). In Q4 2014, by the way, LGD only produced 1.1 million displays - impressive growth in just one quarter, attributed mostly to the Apple supply deal.

DisplaySearch estimates that 77,000 OLED TVs were sold worldwide in 2014, generating $280 million in revenue. Most of these TVs, of course were sold by LG Electronics. DisplaySearch says that in 2013 only about 4,500 OLED TVs were sold (so the market grew 17-fold in terms of units, and 5.5-fold in terms of revenue - as prices dropped sharply).

DisplaySearch breaks down sales by quarter - 4,600 units in Q1 2014, 13,500 in Q2, 16,900 in Q3 and 42,400 in Q4. DisplaySearch also details sales by region: 30.7% were sold in Western Europe, 18.4% in Asia and the Pacific regions, 18.4 in North America, 11.1% in China, 8.7% in Easter Europe , 8.2% in the Middle East and Africa and 5% in South America.

DisplaySearch posted an interesting flexible OLED market forecast. They say that in 2015, the market will grow almost nine-fold over 2014 - as new mobile phones and smart watches with flexible OLEDs (including Apple's Watch) hit the market.

Looking further into the future is more complicated as some of the mass-production technology isn't ready yet and demand is not clear. DisplaySearch has three different scenarios for the flexible OLED market. In their "likely" scenario, the market will grow at a CAGR of 119% from 2013 - and will reach over $20 billion in 2021.

According to DisplaySearch, tablets makers are expected to increase OLED display adoptions due to their thin profile and low power consumption, and AMOLED tablet shipments will reach 42 million by 2019, up from about 4 million OLED tablets sold in 2014. In 2015 OLED technology is expected to hold a 5% in the AMOLED display market.

Currently the only AMOLED tablets on the market are Samsung's Galaxy Tab S series, launched in June 2014 (8.4" and 10.5"). Both Super AMOLED displays offer the same resolution - WQXGA (2560x1600), which means 359 PPI for the 8.4" tablet and 287 for the 10.5" one. DisplayMate says these OLED displays are the best tablet displays ever tested.