Samsung's Galaxy S3 is the successor to the hugely popular S2. The new flagship phone is "designed for humans and inspired by nature" - and includes lot's of smart software for voice recognition, gesture control, smart sharing and intelligent camera features. The phone has a 4.8" 1280x720 HD Super AMOLED (with Pentile), a quad-core 1.4Ghz CPU, 1GB of RAM and an 8 mp camera (1080p video). The phone weighs 133 grams and is only 8.6 mm thick.

The S3 is now being launched all over the world. In the US, Amazon are now offering it unlocked for $799 (will ship on June 8), while in the UK the phone is already shipping (£499.95 at Amazon.co.uk).

Some criticize the fact that Samsung used Pentile technology in the S3 (samsung themselves say that they use PenTile because it helps the display last longer), but most reviews agree that the display is fantastic, with real visual improvements over earlier generation OLEDs (such as the one used in the Galaxy Nexus). The S3 pre-order numbers are very strong, and it seems that Samsung has another winner at their hands.

During May, both LG and Samsung officially launched their 55" OLED TVs. We still do not know the official price and release date of these TVs, but at least we have some more technical information now. First up was Samsung, announcing their Super OLED TV. The model number be ES9500 and the TV will support active-shutter 3D and also Samsung's Dual-View technology (enables two different 2D program via the active-shutter 3D glasses)., a Smart Evolution upgradeable dual-core CPU. Some rumors suggest that Samsung has given up on direct-emission OLED technology and will instead opt for LG's WOLED (RGBW), but these are currently just rumors.

LG also officially launched their OLED TV, the 55EM9600. LG's TV is pretty similar to the set unveiled at CES, although it's a bit thinner (4 mm) but heavier (10Kg). LG says that UK pre-orders will begin in July while shipments will begin "well in time for Christmas". The price isn't set yet, but it will be about €8,000 in Europe (which is about $10,000). LG is apparently quite proud of this TV, calling it the Ultimate display and saying that it represents the greatest leap forward in display technology ever. LG's TV uses a WOLED (RGBW) design on an Oxide-TFT backplane. LG Display can currently make around 48,000 panels a month in their 8.5-Gen production line.

Chimei Innolux announced today that they will be able to start producing AMOLED panels in Q4 2012. According to earlier reports, CMI is prepping its 3.5-Gen AMOLED fab, which will be able to produce about 3,000-5,000 substrates a month. CMI's AMOLED panels will be branded TRUEOLED (CMI first started using this brand in February 2011) and the company will show 3.4" and 4.3" panels at SID next week.

CMI's TRUEOLED panels use a WOLED (RGBW) architecture, the same design used by LGD in their upcoming 55" OLED TVs. CMI's panels will achieve 300 ppi and a very wide view angle (80% of vertical luminance even at a viewing angle of 45°). It was suggested that CMI's OLED production program will be subsidized by the Taiwanese government.

A new report suggests some new details about LG's upcoming 3.5-Gen (730×460 mm) flexible OLED line in LG's Paju plant (E2), Korea. According to the report, LG contracted Jusung Engineering and Avaco to supply the equipment. Both companies will supply encapsulation equipment. The deals are worth 11.4 billion Won (about $10 million) for Jusung and 7.6 billion Won ($6.7 million) for Avaco.

Total cost for this new line (which is actually an extension of the existing pilot line) are estimated at 200 billion Won ($176 million). Earlier reports suggested that LG will start construction by 3Q 2012, and the new line will become active by the end of 2012. An LGD official said that it will take 1-2 years to develop and verify the process and produce prototypes. LG Display's flexible OLEDs will use the same technology as Samsung's flexible prototypes - a polyimide coated substrate and direct-emission RGB sub-pixels (as opposed to LG's OLED TV which use WOLED with color filters).

Universal Display reported their financial results for Q1 2012: revenues were $12.6 million, and the net loss was $1.2 million. This is a surprise as most analysts expected a profit, and the stock price dropped after the news. In Q1 2011 the company reported $9.6 million in revenue . The company hosted a conference call after releasing the result in which it was disclosed that Samsung will pay $30 million in licence fees in 2012 (the agreement states that Samsung pays twice a year, in Q2 and Q4, and the license fees will grow in 2013). UDC also reported that the number of customers purchasing OLED materials in the first quarter increased by approximately 50% from the first quarter of 2011. Green phosphorescent emitters and green host material sales slowed in Q1 compared to the second half of 2011. The company believes that the slowdown is temporary. UDC re-iterated their 2012 revenue guidance ($90 million to $100 million), and they still do not take any OLED TV related revenue into account.

Two days after the earnings release UDC announced that some of its patents have been invalidated in Japan by the Japanese Patent Office (JPO). UDC's stock price declined further on these news. UDC still claims that those Japanese decisions aren't of high importance.

The SID DisplayWeek 2012 conference and exhibition will begin next week. The SID Display Week is the premier display industry showcase and should be an exciting event. Check out OLED-Info for news and coverage regarding OLED at SID. See ye' there...