By Dr. Guillaume Chansin, Dr. Khasha Ghaffarzadeh and Dr. Harry Zervos, IDTechEx10.12.16
OLED technology has recently gained significant market share in the display market. OLED displays are now mass produced for mobile phones, tablets, TVs, and wearables. IDTechEx forecasts the market for all types of OLED displays will reach nearly $16bn this year and will grow to $57bn in 2026.
The latest evolution is plastic and flexible displays. Compared to conventional glass-based displays, plastic AMOLED panels are much thinner and lighter, enabling either slimmer devices or bigger batteries. Future flexible displays will also make foldable mobile devices a reality.
The two main segments are currently smart phones and wearable devices such as smart watches. However, as the technology matures it will be possible to use those displays in other applications, such as automotive displays. Both Samsung Display and LG Display have recently announced significant investment to expand their production capacity.
IDTechEx has upgraded the forecast and now expects plastic and flexible displays to grow rapidly from a $2 billion market this year to $18 billion by 2020. The rise of plastic and flexible displays will be accompanied by a shift from glass substrates to plastic substrates such as polyimide.
However, glass-based displays will remain an important technology, especially in the TV segment, where scale-up and cost reduction are still the main challenges. New 4K OLED TVs were recently launched by LG and Panasonic to critical acclaim. However, some TV manufacturers are hedging their bets by investing in LCD panels enhanced with quantum dots. These so-called “quantum dot LCD” TVs will be positioned as a cheaper upgrade from existing sets. IDTechEx expects that new production technologies will make OLED more competitive, allowing the market for OLED TV panels to grow at 26% CAGR over the next decade.
New applications in wearable devices such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are also coming to market and provide new opportunities for suppliers of OLED displays. Sony, Oculus, and HTC have already announced new VR headsets based on AMOLED technologies. For AR glasses, OLED microdisplays are a major contender against existing LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology.
IDTechEx guides strategic business decisions through its Research and Events services, helping people and companies profit from emerging technologies. We provide independent research, business intelligence and advice to companies across the value chain based on our core research activities and methodologies providing data sought by business leaders, strategists and emerging technology scouts to aid their business decisions. For more information, contact www.IDTechEx.com or research@IDTechEx.com.
The latest evolution is plastic and flexible displays. Compared to conventional glass-based displays, plastic AMOLED panels are much thinner and lighter, enabling either slimmer devices or bigger batteries. Future flexible displays will also make foldable mobile devices a reality.
The two main segments are currently smart phones and wearable devices such as smart watches. However, as the technology matures it will be possible to use those displays in other applications, such as automotive displays. Both Samsung Display and LG Display have recently announced significant investment to expand their production capacity.
IDTechEx has upgraded the forecast and now expects plastic and flexible displays to grow rapidly from a $2 billion market this year to $18 billion by 2020. The rise of plastic and flexible displays will be accompanied by a shift from glass substrates to plastic substrates such as polyimide.
However, glass-based displays will remain an important technology, especially in the TV segment, where scale-up and cost reduction are still the main challenges. New 4K OLED TVs were recently launched by LG and Panasonic to critical acclaim. However, some TV manufacturers are hedging their bets by investing in LCD panels enhanced with quantum dots. These so-called “quantum dot LCD” TVs will be positioned as a cheaper upgrade from existing sets. IDTechEx expects that new production technologies will make OLED more competitive, allowing the market for OLED TV panels to grow at 26% CAGR over the next decade.
New applications in wearable devices such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are also coming to market and provide new opportunities for suppliers of OLED displays. Sony, Oculus, and HTC have already announced new VR headsets based on AMOLED technologies. For AR glasses, OLED microdisplays are a major contender against existing LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology.
IDTechEx guides strategic business decisions through its Research and Events services, helping people and companies profit from emerging technologies. We provide independent research, business intelligence and advice to companies across the value chain based on our core research activities and methodologies providing data sought by business leaders, strategists and emerging technology scouts to aid their business decisions. For more information, contact www.IDTechEx.com or research@IDTechEx.com.
