Whether you’re wondering about the price drop on LCDs in 2025, you should keep in mind that the investment in LCD TV equipment has decreased significantly. According to a recent report from MarketScene, the total amount of LCD television equipment investment is expected to fall to $5.4bn in 2025. In addition, the number of units produced in 3Q22 is expected to decrease by 12%.
OLED prices will surpass 10 million units for the first time this year
Despite a number of snafus, the LG Display Co has managed to sell a whopping 10 million OLED TVs worldwide. As part of a “OLED alliance” with 15 other manufacturers, the South Korean firm has reaped the rewards of an investment in large OLED panels.
The OLED technology has come a long way in the past eight years. It now outshines even the best LCD displays in performance. It has an impressive response time, and a wide viewing angle.
Although the LG Display has reaped the benefits of its large OLED panel investments, the company is not necessarily ready to compete with Samsung when the time comes. It has not yet announced a QD-OLED product, but is reportedly investigating the tech.
It may be difficult for LG to match the competition, but a Samsung-esque OLED ecosystem could be on the horizon. It is also likely that the company will benefit from the downturn in LCD prices. For instance, the price of the material used in the creation of the quantum dot could plummet as the company expands its application to monitors and other electronics.
As the market for OLED televisions grows, more companies will likely enter the fray. For example, China’s BOE recently unveiled a ginormous 95-inch 8K OLED television. In addition, the company has plans to build R&D production lines for such TVs. Considering the success of its smartphones, it is not surprising that the company has turned its attention to OLED for its TVs.
The most notable OLED achievement is its ability to provide perfect blacks, but the most impressive feat is the technology’s other perks. It’s likely that Samsung will be the first to roll out a commercial product.
Samsung’s QD-OLED televisions could launch in 2022
Despite announcing a new line of OLED televisions last year, Samsung has not yet shown any of its QD-OLED models to the world. The company is claiming that its new screens will feature better viewing angles, improved contrast, and higher brightness. But how do these panels compare to LG’s W-OLED and OLED displays?
Unlike LG’s OLED panels, Samsung’s QD-OLED will not use red, blue, and green emissive materials to illuminate the screen. Instead, the Quantum Dot (QD) technology used in the panels uses light-emitting diodes to transform the light. This means that the colours displayed are more accurate and the screen will generate more vibrant colors.
Samsung is also expected to have the best anti-glare technology of any manufacturer, allowing the TV to deliver the brightest possible images. According to reports, the screen will have a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and be able to produce a range of between 0.0005 nits and 1000 nits of peak white light.
While QD-OLED will certainly be expensive, the technology sounds like the ideal display. It combines the best of OLED and QLED, allowing it to offer the brightest and most realistic colours, along with better HDR performance.
The QD-OLED panels will also be able to produce 8.3 million individually controllable light sources. This will help ensure that the TV can provide a much better range of colours than its competitors. The colour volume is also said to be over 80 per cent.
In addition to the QD-OLED screen, the TVs will also feature the Infinity One design. Each model will also come with up to four HDMI 2.1 ports. These should support HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos decoding.
LCD production capacity in 3Q22 will be reduced by 12%
Despite the fact that LCD TV prices hit a record low in late 2018, the market is still in a funk. This is largely due to a glut of panels on the market and a growing number of suppliers cutting production.
Several panel makers have initiated more significant production control schemes in the first half of the year. This is likely to be a boon to TV vendors, as inventories can be managed well into the second half of the year. In addition, a shortage of cargo containers has helped ease congestion at ports.
This is not to say that the panel makers haven’t slowed their manufacturing and purchasing programs down. As a result, the LCD monitor market is projected to fall by 5.4% QoQ in 3Q22, but the numbers will be healthy in the fourth quarter.
While there’s no secret that the LCD television market has stagnated in recent years, the market has seen some upticks in the number of displays shipped. This has been aided by the presence of brands that are pushing the boundaries when it comes to display technology.
Although the market hasn’t budged much in the past year, certain brands are showing their prowess by launching aggressive promotions to stimulate sales. Innolux was no exception, with a 4.9% and 6.7% sequential decrease in large-size panels in September and October, respectively. Interestingly, the company shipped 8.77 million of the aforementioned large-size panels in October.
Despite all this hype, the LCD television market is likely to be oversupplied in the coming years. As a result, panel makers may need to start planning for a winter of discontent.
The most interesting part is that the oh so clever one-ton LCD monitor is probably not in the cards. It’s too soon to tell how this situation will play out in the near future.
TCL’s OLED production line is expected to start production in 2025
During a press conference held in Europe, TCL announced plans to launch its OLED production line in 2025. The company plans to use its own method of creating panels for its OLED TVs. This could result in lower prices, according to TCL.
TCL is one of the world’s largest consumer electronics manufacturers, and its subsidiary, China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT), is planning to join Apple’s LCD supply chain. It also wants to enter the smartphone market. It is currently the only major maker of OLED TV panels.
In 2024, TCL invested in JOLED Inc., a company that produces inkjet-printed OLED panels. It has recently shown a 65″ 8K OLED prototype and plans to develop an inkjet printing platform. The company’s OLED inkjet-printing panel is produced using the process that prints directly between panes of glass. This is expected to improve the stability of OLED pixels and increase production yields.
TCL also indicated that demand for OLEDs in novel products has continued to increase. It will begin developing its OLED manufacturing capability parallel to existing TCL technologies. The company is already making progress on high-end products, and believes that OLEDs are a great addition to its lineup of televisions.
TCL will showcase its latest display technology during IFA in Berlin, Germany, in September. In addition, it has plans to introduce full category offerings. The company will be present at IFA 2022. TCL plans to host a five-day exhibition in Berlin. The company will also participate in the CES in Las Vegas.
In addition to OLED TV panels, TCL will also develop inkjet-printed panels for other uses. It is investing $187 million USD in a Japanese inkjet-printing developer in 2020.