More Samsung OLEDs are coming, but there’s a catch

Samsung’s display-making arm is preparing its new production facility to churn out more OLED panels, but you might have to wait until 2026.

Samsung Display, the display-producing subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has confirmed that it has started working on its next-generation production line, which will make OLED panels.

This is the world’s first 8.6G OLED plant, announced a year back, and will only produce OLED panels for small to medium consumer gadgets like laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more for its customers.

The South Korean tech giant is said to have invested over $3 billion in this new production line. Once complete, this plant will have a production capacity of over 10 million OLED laptop panels every year.

Interestingly, this news comes at a time when even LG had recently announced that it would invest over $1 billion in the production of OLED display panels. Like Samsung Display, LG also supplies display panels to various clients, including Samsung, for devices like laptops, tablets, smartphones, TVs, and more.

Full-scale production by 2026

LG

Samsung is upgrading its L8 line to the new A6 production line for 8.6G OLED production. This means that the South Korean company will get a headstart. While the production facility is expected to start functioning before 2026, full-scale productions will only begin by 2026 and will not make panels for OLED TVs as of now.

Sharing the timeline, the company said that “Samsung Display recently completed the clean room construction in the new line, and started with the introduction of the deposition necessary to make OLED organic materials into display pixels, install major facilities within the year, and start a full-scale mass production system from 2026.”

OLEDs to go mainstream soon

Apple

Interestingly, starting work on this plant also marks the end of Samsung LCD production capacity. This means the company is gradually phasing out LCD panels and will only supply OLED panels to its customers, including its parent organization, Samsung Electronics.

According to a research firm, OMIDA has suggested that the OLED market will grow at an average annual rate of 28.6% from $2.534 billion in 2024 to $8.913 billion in 2029 as major brands transition from LCD to OLED in laptops and tablets.

Even Chinese display maker BOE is said to have earmarked an investment of $9 billion for OLED panels and is said to be working on its 8.6G OLED IT production facility, which could go live by 2026 as well.

For those unaware, Apple is said to be working on its OLED-powered iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. These devices are slated to launch around 2026, along with various other IT companies like Dell and others switching to OLED from LCDs.

So, if you’ve been saving money for your next purchase, you might have more time to save extra for multiple devices.