[뉴스토마토 조재훈 기자] The OLED alliance between Samsung and LG has entered the countdown. The industry is predicting that their trading relationship will begin as early as the second quarter.
According to the industry on the 27th, Samsung Electronics and LG Display entered the final price negotiations with the goal of supplying OLED panels in the second quarter.
An official familiar with LG Display said, “Negotiations are almost being finalized now, and it is likely to be concluded soon.” “He said.
The rumors of an OLED alliance between Samsung and LG have been steadily raised since last year. This is because Samsung Electronics announced that it would enter the OLED market by launching QD-OLED TV this year, but there is not enough QD-OLED panel quantity that Samsung Display can supply.
Currently, Samsung Display’s 8.5th generation QD-OLED panel production is regarding 30,000 sheets per month. This is enough to make regarding 1 million TV sets per year. Samsung Electronics, which sells more than 40 million TVs every year, is insufficient to promote OLED TV as its main product.
Therefore, from the standpoint of Samsung Electronics, it is urgent to secure supplies from LG Display, the only OLED panel supplier other than Samsung Display. Materials and parts makers are also paying close attention to the conclusion of the transaction between the two companies.
A view of LG Display’s factory in Guangzhou. (Photo = LG Display)
Some say that Samsung Electronics will prepare a TV lineup with QD-OLED and WOLED in parallel and start selling OLED TVs limited to the North American market in earnest. QD-OLED is a display using an inorganic quantum dot (quantum dot) material and uses a blue element as a light emitting source. LG Display’s WOLED uses a white element as a light emitting source. The lighting method is also different. QD-OLED takes the front side and WOLED uses the back side.
Experts predict that Samsung Display’s OLED material demand will surge due to LG Display’s increase in WOLED TV panel production and full-scale QD-OLED mass production. Unlike OLEDs for mobile devices, large OLEDs have a 3-tandem structure to improve luminance and lifespan. Therefore, theoretically, the amount of material used per unit of OLED TV panel can be increased by 200 to 300 times, with the thickness of the panel for smartphones being regarding 2-3 times and the area by regarding 100 times compared to the panel for smartphones.
Lee Mi-hye, a senior researcher at Export-Import Bank’s Overseas Economic Research Institute, said, “By Samsung Electronics’ purchase of large OLED panels from LG Display, the domestic OLED ecosystem will be further strengthened, and domestic material and component companies are expected to grow together.”
Last year, LG Electronics’ OLED TV shipments exceeded 4 million units, while Sony is also known to reach 2 million units. Therefore, it is analyzed that if Samsung Electronics does not receive LG Display’s panel supply promptly, it will inevitably fall behind not only LG Electronics but also Sony.
According to market research firm Omdia, OLED TV shipments this year are expected to exceed 8 million units. The share of OLED in the total TV market is also expected to exceed 12.7% in terms of value. In particular, in the premium market over $1,500 (regarding KRW 1.83 million), the proportion of OLED TVs soars to 42.1%, and is expected to surpass QD-LCD TV shipments.
By Jo Jae-hoon, staff reporter cjh1251@etomato.com
ⓒ Delicious News Tomato, reprinted without permission – redistribution prohibited
