OLED will become the leading smartphone display technology in 2020, according to IHS Markit.
IHS expects that AMOLED displays with a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplane will account for 36 per cent of all smartphone displays shipped in 2020, surpassing a-Si TFT LCD and LTPS TFT LCD displays.
“While OLED is currently more difficult to manufacture, uses more complicated materials and chemical processes, and requires a keen focus on yield-rate management, it is an increasingly attractive technology for smartphone brands,” David Hsieh, IHS Markit senior director, commented.
“OLED displays are not only thinner and lighter than LCD displays, but they also boast better colour performance and enable flexible display form factors that can lead to more innovative design.”
IHS notes that Samsung has already adopted OLED displays in its smartphone models, with there also being increasing demand from Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Meizu and other smartphone brands, while Apple is widely expected to employ OLED displays in its upcoming iPhone models.
“Apple’s upcoming adoption of OLED displays will be a milestone for OLED in the display industry,” Hsieh commented.
Meanwhile, Samsung Display, LG Display, Sharp, JDI, BOE, Tianma, GVO, Truly and CSOT are beginning to ramp up AMOLED manufacturing capacities, devoting more resources to technology development, with IHS forecasting that global AMOLED manufacturing capacity will increase from 5 million square meters in 2014 to 30 million square meters in 2020.
“Many display manufacturers were investing in LTPS LCD, thinking it would overtake a-Si technology,” Hsieh observed.
“However, many of the fabs under construction, especially in China, have had to change their plans to add OLED evaporation and encapsulation tools, because OLED penetration has been more rapid than previously expected.”
