What They Say
Sigmaintell confirmed the news that we have been reporting for the last month or two, that the panel price rise has peaked. In early July, smaller TV panels (32″ and 43″) have declined by $1 while 65″ and 75″ have risen by $2 and $3, respectively.
The firm said that demand for smaller panels was ‘loose’ while for larger panels it was ‘tight’.
Separately, the firm said that 6.52″720p smartphone LCDs had dropped by around $0.20 to $4.40 while higher specified LCDs had stayed stable. 8″ tablet panels fell by around $0.50 to $29.00.
OLED driver chips are still in short supply, so smaller volume buyers are seeing a lot of pressure to increase prices.
What We Think
As DSCC has previously reported, the per area pricing of smaller TV panels was well ahead of large ones (after all, a 65″ is more than four times the size of a 32″, but four of those costs $348 compared to $291 for the 65″. There is more driver cost for the 32″ panels, but yield should also be better for the smaller panels. (BR)
