The gist of it: Chinese companies are pulling each other up out of a depressed market, South Korean impetus in OLED manufacturing, and US sanctions. Samsung and LG may get Apple, but that’s bragging rights. And, beware the foldables, they’re more innovative and fun than anything Apple is going to be doing for a while.
Shipments of Chinese OLED display panels are expected to increase by 40% this year, reaching over 220 million units and accounting for 38% of the global total, up from 28% in 2021, according to Sigmaintell. This surge is attributed to a growing number of Chinese smartphone brands using high-end screens. Xiaomi’s latest flagship model, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, features a flexible OLED screen made by Shenzhen-based TCL CSOT. Huawei’s nova 11 series also uses flexible OLED displays from TCL CSOT and Beijing-based Visionox.
TCL Technology, the parent company of TCL CSOT, is gaining more customers who are upgrading to mid- and high-end products. BOE aims to ship 120 million flexible OLED displays by the end of the year. According to an Omdia report, Samsung held 56% of the global market for small and medium-sized OLED panels last year, followed by BOE at 12%, LG Display at 11%, Visionox at 6%, and Everdisplay Optronics at 5%.
