The OLED-Info newsletter, November 2020
Published: Tue, 12/01/20
BOE will not supply OLEDs to Apple smartphones in 2021
Earlier this year it was reported that BOE failed to pass Apple's quality tests and did not become a supplier to the iPhone 12 series (BOE also failed to pass Samsung Electronics's display quality test).
According to a new report from Korea, Apple has tested BOE's AMOLEDs for next year's iPhones, but again BOE's OLED production quality is not good enough for Apple, which means that in 2021 Samsung Display and LG Display will remain the exclusive OLED suppliers to Apple's phones. In 2021 it is likely that Apple will introduce LTPO displays in addition to screens with a 120Hz refresh rates and on-cell touch.
It seems as if Apple's main is BOE's low production yields. The US company is considering to adopt BOE's panels for aftermarket production (refurbished iPhones and screen repairs).
Royole to build a $2.4 billion flexible OLED fab in Qingdao
Chinese OLED developer Royole announced that it will establish a $2.4 billion OLED production line in Qingdao, China.
Royole did not provide any details, besides that this production line will be used to make flexible and foldable OLEDs. We do not know yet the timeline, technologies and production capacity at the new line.
Royole recently announced its second-generation foldable smartphone, the FlexPai 2 5G device, which sports an outside folding 7.8-inch 1920x1440 OLED.
The Flex Pai 2 uses Royole's 3rd-generation foldable OLEDs screen technology (branded as Cicada Wing) which deliver significant improvements over its previous generation displays. Cicada Wing displays, compared to Royole's 2nd-Gen flexible OLEDs, offer 5X higher contrast, 50% higher brightness, 20% faster response time and a better color shift. It also offers a low brightness decay (Royole says it is 3.5X better then competing foldable OLEDs).
Latest OLED market updates
Here are the latest OLED market updates and forecasts from November 2020:
Will Apple adopt tandem OLEDs in its iPad Pro tablets?
In a very interesting post, The Elec states that Apple has reached out to both Samsung Display and LG Display, requesting that the display suppliers develop a longer-lifetime OLED display for Apple's next iPad Pro devices.
The lifetime of the current crop of mobile OLED devices is not enough for Apple's iPad - which is designed to be used for a longer period of time compared to a smartphone. An increased lifetime will also result in lower burn-in problems which seem to trouble Apple.
Samsung Display is working to upgrade its A4 flexible OLED line in Asan, and add a new deposition chamber in the process that will enable it to deposit tandem (double stacked or even triple stacked) OLEDs - and so increase the lifetime of the devices.
LG Display is already able to produce tandem OLEDs, as it has developed this ability in its E5 production line for automotive panels. LG is already producing 12.8" tandem OLEDs for Mercedes. This means that LGD can supply OLED panels for Apple's iPad sooner than SDC.
Panasonic launches its first commercial transparent OLED TV
Panasonic has been showing transparent OLED display prototypes and concepts since 2016, using panels produced by LG Display. Last year Panasonic said it plans to release its first transparent OLED product in 2020, and true to its word, today Panasonic launched the TP-55ZT110 and TP-55ZT100 transparent OLED modules.
The new transparent display is 55-inch in size, and offers a resolution of 1920x1080 (not a surprise as this is the spec of LG's and the world's only transparent 55" OLED panel in production). The whole display weighs just 1.75 Kg. Interestingly the operation temperature range is quite limited at 0-40 degrees Celsius.
The two modules (TZ100 and TZ110) are similar apart for the fact that the TZ110 includes a dimming unit on the back side. The dimming unit (developed by Panasonic) enables to change the TV into a "black mode", in which the dimming unit reduces the light transmittance - to make the TV less transparent and so improve the image quality by increasing the contrast. This makes the TZ110 suitable as both a regular display and a transparent display and could be an interesting technology (see here for why a regular transparent OLED TV cannot show black colors).
The whole display module is just 3.8 mm thick (for the TZ100. The TZ110 is 7.6 mm in thickness as it adds the dimming unit) . A thin display is of course highly astethic, but Panasonic says that such a thin display also improve the transparency and reduces reflections compared to thicker transparent OLEDs.
Panasonic will begin selling its new display modules in December 2020 in Japan and other Asia-Oceania markets. Panasonic says it sees potential applications in retail stores, museums and also commercial lounges. This is a commercial display and the price is likely to be quite high.
The transparent OLED market may be finally emerging. Click here to learn all about that market via our $299.99 Transparent OLED Market Report.
NajingTech produces QD display with Inkjet Technology from Notion Systems
Najing Technology Corporation Ltd., the leading Chinese manufacturer of quantum dot materials uses the Notion n.jet display systems for QD displays and light emitting diodes development and pilot production.
The n.jet display series prints functional layers in various steps of display production and for various display technologies. This includes rigid, flexible, OLED, QLED and LCD displays. In addition to its unparalleled precision, the platform complies with highest demands on process environment and process stability.
Oppo shows new rollable phone and OLED AR glasses prototypes
Oppo hosted its Oppo INNO Day 2020, during which it unveiled two interesting concept devices. First up is the Oppo X, a rollable OLED smartphone that can open up to increase the display size. When closed the Oppo X has a 6.7-inch AMOLED, and when rolled open it can reach 7.4 inches. Inside the phone the display scrolls around a 6.8mm 'scroll motor'. Oppo says it applied 122 patents for this specific phone, with 12 patents protecting the scroll mechanism.
Oppo also unveiled a new concept AR HMD device, called the Oppo AR Glass 2021. This is again a concept device, and Oppo did not disclose much - beyond the fact that it uses 0.71-inch OLED microdisplays. These are likely to be BOE's 0.71" FHD 2000 nits microdisplays.
OLED Microdisplay news
Here are the latest OLED microdisplay news from November 2020:
- Epson announces new a OLED microdisplay and AR display engine
- Seeya starts producing OLED microdisplays, available now on the OLED marketplace
- Oppo shows new OLED AR glasses prototypes
- eMagin reports its financial results for Q3 2020
- INT Tech's OLED fab in Taizhou is expected to enter mass production in Q4 2021
The OLED and MicroLED microdisplay market is coming of age - click here to learn all about the next-generation microdisplay market via our $299.99 OLED and MicroLED Microdisplay Market Report.
SDC to start trial runs at its QD-OLED TV fab next month
Korea's The Elec says that Samsung Display aims to start trial runs at its QD-OLED 8.5-Gen production line next month (December 2020). SDC will brand these displays as QD Displays. The first generation ones will adopt SDC's current hybrid QD-OLED architecture, but later ones may adopt QNED (quantum-rods) emitters. In any case, SDC's plan is to start mass production by the end of 2021, in the first line (15,000 monthly substrates). SDC is also planning a second line to follow the first, to arrive at a total of 30,000 monthly 8.5-Gen substrates.
According to UBI Research from Korea, Samsung Display has managed to improve its quantum dots nanorod LED (QNED) technology, and the company aims to start buying production equipment next year.
Yeolight shows interesting new OLED lighting and PMOLED display prototypes
BOE has unveiled a new display, a 55-inch 4K quantum-dots panel, which it calls AMQLED (active-matrix Quantum Dot LED) display. Is that a commercial product?
Dongxu Optoelectronics has started to construct China's largest OLED substrate glass factory in a $760 million investment
China-based Viewtrix announced that it is starting to produce its AMOLED and OLED microdisplay driver ICs, and the company also secured $45.6 million in funding
We have published a video taht shows the 55-inch LG T-OLEDs screens in Shenzhen Metro
Researchers from the University of Michigan, in collaboration with Universal Display are developing a low-cost roll-to-roll (R2R) process to produce flexible OLED lighting panels. The goal is to achieve a panel cost of less than $10 per klm.
INT Tech says taht its plant construction is progressing and production of the company's first displays is expected to begin in Q4 2021.
Universal Display filed for two new interesting trademark applications that suggest the company aims to commercialize its plasmonic OLED technology
A 15.6-inch 4K 650-nit AMOLED monitor
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