The OLED-Info newsletter, April 2016
Published: Mon, 04/04/16
Samsung OLED updates
It's been a busy month at Samsung Display's OLED unit. The company decided to double its A3 flexible OLED line - and ordered equipment worth $325 million. The A3 line currently produces 15,000 monthly substrates (Gen-6) and when the new equipment arrives the capacity will double to 30,000 monthly substrates. Samsung hopes the new capacity will be ready by early 2017.
Samsung is currently producing around 9 million flexible OLED panels each month to satisfy demand for the S7 Edge" and its other flexible OLED products. Samsung reported strong pre-orders for the GS7 and GS7 edge, 2.5 times higher than the GS6 and the GS6 edge.
According to ETNews, SDC needs to quickly expand its flexible OLED production capacity as the company signed an official contract with Apple to supply flexible OLEDs for its 2017 iPhone.
According to reports, Samsung is considering building a dedicated line to produce OLED panels for VR applications. Samsung also plans to start shipping its 55" transparent and mirror OLEDs in Q2 2016. According to Samsung's senior VP, Kim Moon-soo, OLED TV technology is "not complete" - and Samsung will not enter the market "unless current issues such as durability, afterimage and brightness are resolved.
LG Display to build a Gen-5 OLED lighting fab
Back in 2012 LG Chem started discussing a Gen-5 OLED lighting fab, but that plan did not materialize. In late 2015 LG Display acquired LG Chem's OLED lighting business and the plans for the Gen-5 fab re-emerged. On March 17, LG Display announced that it will go ahead with the plans and invest in a Gen-5 (1000x1200 mm) OLED lighting fab that will be located in Gumi, South Korea. The initial capacity will be 15,000 monthly substrates and mass production is expected by the first half of 2017.
LG currently produces OLED lighting panels in a Gen-2 fab (370x470 mm) that has a monthly capacity of 7,000 monthly substrates. The new fab will have a much higher capacity - and this will enable LG to dramatically lower their prices due to economies of scale. Back in 2012 LG estimated that the Gen-5 fab will cut production costs by 95%.
LGD says that the OLED lighting business plan is to first focus on task lighting and decorative lighting in high-end retail stores and in luxury hospitality. LG will later expand its OLED lighting reach to the general lighting market. Other important markets are the automotive lighting market and convergence applications such as OLED light panels merged with furniture, architectural materials, electronic devices and more.
This is a great commitment by LG Display and it may prove to be a watershed moment in the OLED lighting market. Because of small production volumes, OLED lighting is extremely expensive today. The only exception is (perhaps) Konica Minolta's R2R flexible OLED fab - but the company is still struggling with this fab and faces years of delays.
Hopefully LG's decision will kickstart this industry and will force other players, such as OLEDWorks or OSRAM to also start making plans for high volume OLED production.
LG's Signature 65" G6 OLED TV ships in the US
LG's flagship 2016 OLED TV, the 65" Signature OLEDG6 is now shipping in the US, for $7,999.
LG's Signature OLED G6 is LG's top-end TV model for 2016. The G6 feature an ultra-slim on-glass design, a high-end pivoting Harman Kardon soundbar, LG's webOS 3.0, Color Prime PRO technology and HDR.
Mercedes to adopt LG's 12.3" flexible OLEDs
According to a report from Korea, Mercedes signed an agreement with LG Display to supply its 12.3" FHD flexible P-OLED displays for a future E-Class automobile. The dashboard of the upcoming car will use two such displays, side by side - one showing the instrument cluster and the other information such as navigation.
LGD announced its entry to the flexible OLED automotive market back in July 2014 - and indeed back then the company already said it signed OLED supply contracts with several car makers in Germany - including Daimler-Benz. In January 2016 LGD first unveil its 12.3" Full-HD flexible OLED panels for the automotive market.
The automobile market is starting to become an important market for OLED makers - for both OLED displays and OLED lighting. Want to learn more about the OLED Automotive market? Check out the OLED-Info Automotive OLEDs Market Report, which was recently updated.
IHS: a 5" FHD AMOLED costs less than an equivalent LCD
According to IHS, a 5" Full-HD AMOLED display now costs $14.3 (down from $17.1 in Q4 2015) - and now costs less than a similar LCD display ($14.7, down from $15.7 in Q4 2015). This is the first time an AMOLED costs less than an LCD. IHS says that to make a 5" FHD LCD, the materials costs are $9.2 and non-material costs (including deprecation) s $5.4. For an AMOLED display, materials cost $7.2 and non material costs amount to $7.2.
While we're not sure if IHS is correct, AMOLED prices have been falling steadily. According to reports in December 2015, SDC did intend to lower its AMOLED prices to be more competitive than LCDs, but it's a bit strange they would price it below LCDs. Read more about our thoughts about IHS' report here.
Is an 2017 OLED iPhone a done deal?
We heard reports and rumors on an OLED iPhone for several years, but the new reports now coming from Korea seem more based than ever. According to ETNews, Samsung Dsiplay signed an official contract with Apple to supply flexible OLEDs for its 2017 iPhone. SDC will produce between 50% and 80% of Apple's OLED panels, and the rest will be produced by Apple's 2nd supplier - several company compete and ETNews estimates that there is a high chance that LG Display will be chosen, but the company has not yet been able to secure enough production capacity. Sharp/Foxconn and Japan Display are competing with LGD for Apple's OLED business.
An analyst from KGI says that Apple's 2017 iPhone will have a radical new design - curved panels on the device's front and back, glass covers (or perhaps plastic or ceramic, it is not decided yet) - and a 5.8" OLED display. Kuo says that it is likely that the 5.8" iPhone will be a replacement for the current iPhone 6+ (5.5" LCD) - but if Apple won't be able to secure enough OLED panels, it may choose to release two models, one with LCD and a premium one with an OLED display.
OLED-Info's market reports updated
Today we published new versions of all our market reports - that cover the transparent, automotive, microdisplay and flexible OLED markets. OLED-Info provides comprehensive niche OLED market reports, and our reports cover everything you need to know about the niche market, and can be useful if you want to understand how the OLED industry works and what this technology can provide for your own industry. The reports are now updated to March 2016.
The four updated reports are:
- The Flexible OLED Market Report
- The Transparent OLED Market Report
- The OLED Microdisplays Market Report
- The OLED Automotive Market Report:
Our market reports come with one year of free upgrades. Existing customers, please contact us or reply to this mail regarding discounts or free updates.
The OLED Marketplace - your new source for OLED panels!
Earlier this month we were happy to launch the OLED Marketplace, a new service that offers what we hope is the world's most complete OLED panel catalog. The Marketplace is a free resource that allows you to find the best OLED panel for your project, and includes character, graphic, flexible and transparent OLEDs.
The OLED Marketplace includes over 120 OLED panels from over 12 producers (both PMOLED and AMOLED displays). We hope this new service will enable device makers to find the best OLED for their product - and increase OLED adoption.
The OLED Handbook 2016 edition
On march 209 we launched the sixth edition of The OLED Handbook, the most comprehensive resource on OLED technology, industry and market - now updated for 2016. The OLED industry grows and changes very fast, and the new edition include new details on OLED TVs, flexible and foldable OLEDs, the wearable and VR/AR markets and more.
The OLED handbook has been read by hundreds of display engineers, business developers, researchers, equipment vendors, OLED material companies, private investors and others who wished to learn more about OLEDs today and in the future. I truly believe that it is the best introduction to OLED displays and lighting!
The OLED Handbook 2016 single-user edition can be downloaded now for $97 USD (via Paypal or credit card). To secure your copy simply click here. The Enterprise edition costs $600. Existing digital-copy customers are entitled to a 50% discount (and if you bought in 2016, you'll get the upgrade for free). If you did not receive your upgrade coupon, contact us to get one.
The hardcopy printed version costs $149.99 and can be ordered through our publisher. If you order today (March 29), you can enjoy a 20% discount using the coupon ALLBOOKS when you checkout at Lulu.com.
For more information, and to order your copy today, visit The OLED Handbook info page.
Kyulux aims to commercialize efficiency blue OLED TADF emitters, and raised $13 million (plus $2.8 from LG Display) to acquire the patents and commence operations
The €14 million PI-SCALE project will offer world class capability and services in the pilot production of customized flexible OLEDs
The company sees the general lighting market driving this growth. But for this to happen, enough niche markets have to be identified and accessed to create a minimum production scale that will enable price reductions.
LG launched new 55-inch and 65-inch dual-view displays, price or availability were not disclosed
LG needs Samsung's help to ensure Korea beats the competition from China on the race to the OLED TV market
At L+B 2016 LG Display unveiled new OLED panels, solutions and installations
Reports from Korea says that SDC and LGD have high hopes for the VR market and the display makers aim to dedicate entire OLED production lines for VR applications
According to IHS, the GS7 costs $255 to build, and the 5.1-inch 2560x1440 Super AMOLED costs $55
UBI estimates that the AMOLED market will reach a record $15 billion in revenues in 2016, and will grow with a CAGR of 46% between 2016 and 2020, to reach $67 billion
Danish-based B&O will launch its first OLED TV in 2017 using LGD's OLED panels
Click above to read the OLED-Associations's interesting forecasts for the future of the OLED market
OLEDWorks announces an update to Philips' Brite FL300 panels and also a new OLED module called the Keuka
Vivo's 2016 flagship phone sports a 5.43-inch 1440x2560 flexible AMOLED display that is curved around both edges
A low-end emerging-markets smartphone with a 4.5-inch 480x800 Super AMOLED display
A VR headset with a FHD 5.7-inch AMOLED display, the PlayStation VR will ship in October 2016 for $400
A tether-free Windows 10 VR headset that sports a 2560x1440 90hz AMOLED display
An enthusiast compact 18-50mm digital camera with a 3-inch tilting AMOLED display
An enthusiast compact 24-85mm digital camera with a 3-inch tilting AMOLED display
An SLR-like 24-500mm digital camera with a fully-articulated 3-inch AMOLED display an an XGA OLED EVF
A compact zoom camera with a retractable OLED EVF
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