Despite continuation for 2024: Will Samsung Display soon end QD-OLED production?

In 2019, Samsung Display announced an investment of almost 11 billion dollars in research and development as well as in production lines for QD OLED TVs. A few years later, the electronics group began producing the corresponding panels, with the portfolio enjoying considerable popularity. However, it is uncertain whether production and development will continue to have a future and whether QD-OLED production will continue.

Although Samsung has been able to win customers and increase production yields and capacities in recent years, QD-OLED demand is significantly lower compared to the core business. For example, out of over 40 million TV sets sold in 2023, only just over one million units will be models with self-illuminating pixels. A market share of over 22 percent.

Despite this supposed success, Samsung Display’s QD-OLED division is facing market and technological challenges that may soon lead to the end of production. Samsung recently decided to relocate around 500 engineers to its AMOLED unit for small and medium-sized displays in order to remain competitive in the fiercely contested market.

QD-OLED production at risk: new deal with LG Display

In addition, the South Korean company concluded a new long-term deal with LG Display for the supply of WOLED panels in February of this year. This means that the LG subsidiary will continue to supply the Group with the corresponding technology in the coming years. The future focus on Micro-LED technology is putting further pressure on QD OLEDs, which were seen internally as a transitional technology.

The technology is particularly confronted with the challenge of efficiently producing blue emitters. At the same time, the market launch of these components by display manufacturer UDC has been delayed until the second half of the year. As a result, the planned implementation of a single emitter level for QD OLED panels has also been postponed.

Contrary to the high initial investment in the QD-OLED division, Samsung is now hesitating to further expand production capacities or accelerate research and development. This could result in the technology becoming less competitive in the coming years against WOLEDs and AMOLEDs.