While some people are tipping that the Chinese brands Hisense ad TCL are set to trounce LG and Samsung, in the TV market, it appears that what has slipped through the cracks is cutting edge technology from Samsung that actually lowers the cost of OLED TVs while delivering new capability for devices using the new display technology.
Samsung is also tipping over $4 billion dollars into new OLED manufacturing plants.
At this year’s CES tech trade show in Las Vegas, Samsung Display unveiled a laptop with a 14-inch organic light-emitting diode screen that can be stretched up to 16.7 inches.
Chinese PC maker Lenovo will release the laptop in June with prices starting at A$6,000.
Samsung also showed off a transparent OLED TV and a Hologram TV at CES with the South Korean Company now investing in new OLED display technology a move that could hurt LG and Chinese manufacturers.
And Despite LG Electronics claiming to own the OLED TV market it was Samsung who last year led the OLED panel market by value with a 42.2% share, according to display industry data provider DSCC.
Last year LG who is struggling in the display and TV market sold a key LED plant in China to TCL in an effort to balance the books after a long period of losses.
TCL an arch rival to Hisense is also set to release a new WHVA panel which will debut later this year in 2025 TV models from TCL, Samsung and possibly Sony.
Already largest manufacturer of TVs in the world TCL is seen as a display industry innovator revealed a 98″ ‘HVA Pro’ at CES 2025 with this panel tipped to be released in Australia next year.
TCL also used CES to reveal their RGB miniLED LCD TVs which are coming to Australia.
According to TCL, the RGB miniLED solution can achieve up to 92% Rec.2020 coverage and over 10000 dimming zones.
Not to be outdone Hisense also announced plans to launch RGB miniLED technology with this tipped to be built into a 116-inch LCD TV which is going to be a show piece more than a practical every say TV for Australian homes.
Not to be outdone in the OLED market BOE is building a new OLED panel plant in an effort to catch up to Samsung.
The Chinese company has invested A$13 billion in the plant, which will manufacture cutting-edge 8.6-generation substrates.
Chinese players are also increasing their share in small panels, such as for smartphones, which are relatively easy to manufacture which is a threat to LG Display
“If we’re talking about just smartphone panels, China will surpass South Korea in manufacturing capacity in a few years,” said Yoshio Tamura, vice president of research at DSCC.
After LG Display sold its main LCD factory in China to TCL, they are now punting on using the proceeds to try and improve their OLED technology which is under threat on multiple fronts.
Samsung will invest A$4.53 billion to develop a production line for OLED panels in an existing plant at its display division’s main production base, aiming to start mass production in 2026.
It is exploring producing medium-sized panels for PCs and other purposes a move that is already having an impact on LG Display who recently lost OLED contracts with Apple, primarily because their OLED panels were ‘too expensive’.
