
Manufacturers of OLED screens are seeing a strong demand for the technology as more companies utilize the screens for their TVs, smartphones and tablets, according to a new report released this week.
During the second quarter (Q2) of the year, OLED panel shipments jumped 13 percent, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), with Samsung’s display business seeing the most demand.
OLED — “organic light emitting diode” — allows screens to produce vivid images with rich colors and better contrast compared to conventional LCD (“liquid crystal display”) technology. One reason is that each pixel of an OLED display is self-illuminating, unlike LCD, which requires a backlight. The end result is that OLED is able to achieve “true black” when the pixel is entirely shut off.
LG was one of the earliest pioneers of OLED technology in displays, with its LG Display business being the global leader for years. Samsung has long made OLED displays for mobile devices, including its own smartphones and Apple phones, and recently began offering its own line-up of OLED smart TVs in the United States and elsewhere.
One big factor driving business for Samsung is Apple’s recent decision to launch a new iPad Pro that, for the first time, offers an OLED display. Samsung manufactures “tandem” OLED displays for the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models, which critics praised as having some of the best screens of any tablet computer to date.
Apple’s decision to use OLED panels in its iPad Pro models helped increase OLED shipments by 142 percent during Q2 as compared to Q1, with year-over shipments increasing 356 percent.
“We expect healthy year-over growth to continue, fueled by increased demand in the commercial and consumer PC sector and AI innovations for several categories,” DSCC Senior Director David Naranjo said.