According to Samsung, Samsung Display is the leader in the field of OLED panels for smartphones, and they have expanded their dominance to the emerging market for foldable screens. Display Supply Chain Consultants. After using a few foldable devices, we are convinced that the foldable future is the future, and therefore the development of foldable display technology is exciting for us to see unfold. Samsung’s foldable smartphones are so far ahead of the competition that other foldable products like gen 1 products feel in comparison, and now they’re preparing their toes in a new form factor: the sliding screen.
KwonYoung Choi of the business planning department at Samsung Display said in the Q4 2020 earnings call that the company intends to “” [its] presence in the exhibition market through innovative form factors such as foldable and sliding screens. Since Samsung Display is a panel vendor, this does not necessarily mean that Samsung Electronics intends to make a smartphone with a sliding screen (although they do point to some patents). Korean media recently reported that Samsung Display is starting to supply foldable screens to Chinese smartphone makers. It is possible that Samsung Display only makes a sliding display so that it can compete with Chinese panel vendors like BOE and CSOT to do business. BOE is apparently the panel seller for OPPO’s rollable concept phone, the OPPO X 2021, while TCL’s CSOT is the dealer for TCL’s rollable phone concept. There is also LG with its own scrolling screen in a phone that is allegedly on the market this year. Obviously, many smartphone vendors are investigating the manufacture of a product with a rollable / sliding screen, so it makes sense that Samsung Display wants to create its own offering.
Alternatively, it is possible that the slider screen that Samsung makes is intended for a larger device, such as a TV. LG Display currently dominates the TV OLED market and the company recently unveiled the first rollable TV – the LG Rollable OLED TV R. No doubt Samsung will not rest on its laurels, which LG Display easily wins here. After all, KwonYoung Choi spoke during the earnings call about the broader core strategies and prospects for 2021, which touched the company’s exhibition operations in mobile, TV and even motor vehicles.
Here is the full quote from the earnings call:
“Finally, I share our outlook for the Exhibition Market and Core Exhibition Strategies for 2021. For the Mobile Display business, we expect demand for OLED display panels for high-end models to rise, and for OLED penetration to reach the middle. increase. range of segments, driven by the expansion of the 5G smartphone market along with the recovery in demand for smartphones. We will further strengthen our leadership in the OLED market by taking full advantage of such market conditions.
Furthermore, we will further differentiate our own technologies for features such as adaptable refresh rates and lower power consumption to base on uncertainties caused by the fluctuation of demand under the long-term impact of the pandemic and also aggressive market entry of competitors.
At the same time, in response to a growing demand for contactless communications and services, we will seek to diversify applications within areas such as PCs, tablets and motor vehicles by taking advantage of OLEDs, including ultra-thin and narrow edge.
We will also promote the market expansion for folding screens. Meanwhile, we also qualify our presence in the exhibition market through innovative form factors such as collapsible and movable exhibitions. ”- KwonYoung Choi from the business planning department at Samsung Display
Featured image: the OPPO X 2021, a concept smartphone with a scrolling screen