What Display Daily thinks: This is a real easy one, Samsung and LG could get burned because, you know, Apple. Honor and BOE can keep on trucking and not worry about anything Apple/Samsung/LG does, building OLED expertise.
Apple could make or break the OLED business for Samsung and LG which means that it will probably do that at some point as it does its thing, which is kind of its right.
LG selling an LCD factory makes sense, but is it really to fund and find favor with Apple? How did that work out for oms Osram and MicroLED watch displays?
I wish I could care more about what backplane technology the fab is using or the processes or whatever. I don’t even care about the capex. Not because I am insensitive to the issues but because Samsung and LG are not going to do well as contract manufacturers. There’s no brand win for either company. And profits are anyone’s guess..
4 OLED Stories to Cherish
Two stories out of the Korean press recently:
AVACO and BOE Collaboration: South Korean equipment manufacturer AVACO is set to supply vacuum transmission equipment to BOE, China’s largest display company. This equipment is essential for OLED production, indicating a significant step in BOE’s expansion into OLED technology, especially with their plans to build an 8.6-generation OLED factory in Chengdu. The deal could potentially be worth hundreds of billions of won, showcasing the significant investment and collaboration between South Korean technology and Chinese manufacturing.
LG Display’s LCD Factory Sale: LG Display is in the process of selling its Guangzhou 8.5-generation LCD factory to a Chinese panel company. This deal includes the factory and patents related to LCD technology, highlighting the shift in focus towards more advanced display technologies and the strategic repositioning of assets within the display industry. The sale is expected to boost LG Display’s investments in OLED technology, particularly for next year’s iPhone negotiations with Apple.
Two pieces of analysis from DSCC:
Honor’s Innovation with Tandem OLED Stack: Honor announced the Magic 6 Ultimate Edition smartphone, featuring a dual-stack tandem OLED display. This technology promises enhanced lifetime and energy efficiency for the display, positioning BOE as a leader in OLED technology innovation. The phone is part of Honor’s strategy to showcase advanced display technology ahead of mass production in its future OLED fabrication plants.
Apple’s OLED iPad Panel Production: LGD and SDC have started shipping OLED panels for Apple’s iPad, with LGD focusing on the 12.9” model and both LGD and SDC covering the 11.1” model. This move indicates Apple’s significant investment in OLED technology for its tablet line, despite initial challenges with panel supply and demand dynamics.
